Gaza Friendly app turns consumer choices into Palestinian solidarity

In June 2025, a new app called “Gaza Friendly” launched on the Play Store, distinguished by its heart-shaped icon featuring a Palestinian flag. The app serves as a label certifying shopkeepers who boycott products from occupied Palestinian territories and companies supporting Israel’s settlement expansion. So far, it lists 80 businesses in France, primarily butchers, restaurants, and food distributors, with an interactive map helping consumers locate certified shops. Created by Pierre-Amael Noailly Charny, a paediatrician from Lyon, and a small group of friends, the app has been downloaded over 500 times.

Gaza Friendly draws inspiration from the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, encouraging consumers to refuse Israeli products. Shopkeepers certified by Gaza Friendly must adhere to a three-point charter: no Coca-Cola Company beverages, no PepsiCo beverages, and no fresh products from Israeli settlements. Noailly Charny emphasizes that boycotting these brands is a peaceful tool with strong symbolic impact, as both companies have been linked to the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories.

One certified shopkeeper, Akli from Aid Boucherie Halal in Creteil, near Paris, joined Gaza Friendly after customers blamed him for selling Coca-Cola. Since stopping the sale of Coca-Cola and Pepsi products, Akli reports that his business is doing better. The app also provides shopkeepers with visual materials and a list of alternative products, including beverages from companies committed to Palestine, such as Pales Drinks and Palestine Cola.

Gaza Friendly aims to expand internationally, with shopkeepers from around 15 countries already members. The label’s founder is working to increase its visibility, reaching out to influencers and promoting it at solidarity events. The app’s unique approach turns consumer choices into acts of solidarity with Palestine, offering a concrete way for people to support the Palestinian cause.