The fasting veterans had gathered every day for 40 days from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. across from the United Nations headquarters in New York City and in front of the U.S. Mission to the U.N. They were able to reach out to thousands of U.N. employees and visitors during that time with two demands: Deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza under U.N. authority and embargo U.S. arms to Israel.

Speakers at the press conference included veterans of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps who had fought in Vietnam or Iraq as well as a recent graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy.