“Murdering Goyim is like killing a wild animal.”
JEWISH TALMUD Sanhedrin 59a
Numerous videos circulating on social media showcase the generosity and solidarity among the residents of the Gaza Strip, despite the hardships and the siege imposed on them by the Nazi enemy. It has been over 42 days since the aggression of the Nazi occupation on Gaza, following the Al-Aqsa Flood operation launched by the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, on October 7th.
From their stories … natural compassion
Mahmoud Za’tar, a Palestinian artist from Gaza, documents his daily life on his social media accounts. He recently posted a video on his Instagram titled “Compassion by Nature.” The video shows Mahmoud passing by a shawarma shop, and the shop owners offer him a free shawarma sandwich.
The initiatives are not limited to individual efforts. Many institutions and charitable organizations work to deliver meals and food parcels to the displaced in shelters, despite the transportation difficulties due to fuel shortages.
Hassan Zain al-Din, a doctor who was forced to buy a bicycle to move between areas in Gaza to follow up on patients, especially those with chronic diseases, after the fuel ran out in the Strip. Despite the challenges facing the medical sector in Gaza due to the Nazi Holocaust, Dr. Hassan Zain al-Din took it upon himself to treat patients with chronic diseases in refugee schools, moving from one area to another using his bicycle.
We are all resistance
Abu Jihad from the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip decided to share the blankets of his home with the resistance fighters who use them as a shield against Nazi reconnaissance aircraft that constantly patrol the skies of the Strip. Despite having only a limited number of blankets, Abu Jihad decided to share them equally with the fighters who wanted to protect themselves from what Gazans call ‘the mosquito,’ swearing three times to God that what he left in his house is not enough for his six children.
Abu Jihad told Al-Jazeera Net that extending a helping hand to the resistance is a duty dictated by religion and honor because “everyone relies on it after Allah to repel the heinous aggression against us.” He added, “I swear by the One whom there is no God but Him, if I had more than this, I would offer it to them … the resistance fighters, who sacrifice everything for the sake of preventing the advance of the occupation and breaking its backbone, deserves all appreciation, not just a group of covers.”
Shelter centres
Displaced people are distributed across various facilities in the southern and central Gaza Strip, including hospitals, universities, clubs, wedding halls, relatives’ homes, and most of them crowded into UNRWA schools to ensure some of the scarce aid that enters through the Rafah crossing via international relief organizations.
The very large numbers of displaced people have made the tragedy affect all basic components of life. Water is extremely scarce, hospitals are in their last throes, and food is a challenge, as bakeries have completely closed their doors due to the depletion of gas and fuel that powers their machines.
Rainfall over the past two days, coupled with strong winds, has led to the collapse and flooding of several tents of the displaced in various areas in the south of the Strip.
Sharing the bread
People’s contributions and the unity of the community members alleviate the heavy burdens even on those who contribute. Citizens share bread, water bottles, and medicine strips, and no one monopolizes his possessions. Everything brought by the head of the family for his children becomes a common property for the neighbors and the community; no one deprives anyone of anything.
In their usual steadfastness, resilience, and belief in the inevitability of imminent relief, the displaced Palestinians try to hold on to the threads of their lives and maintain great hope, despite the loss of the minimum conditions for a dignified life and human requirements.
With resources running low, activists make large quantities of food on firewood and distribute it to the displaced. The meals often consist of lentils and beans, and in some cases, meals of rice and chicken are provided through donations from home and abroad.
Initiatives and volunteer campaigns
Passers-by near shelter areas notice volunteer cells that work on providing water, distributing food, blankets, and essential life supplies. Dozens of young initiators actively contribute to providing necessities needed by specific groups of the displaced, such as the disabled, infants, pregnant women, and the sick, through donations provided by the benevolent to meet the needs of these groups.
Initiators are keen to provide clothes and blankets to secure the needs of the displaced who left their homes without taking anything.
With the continuation of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza and ground incursions, nearly 1.5 million people have been displaced within the Strip.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates the cost of meeting the humanitarian needs of 2.7 million people in Gaza and the West Bank at around $2.1 billion.
