Tuesday, 30 April 2024

UPDATE: Save A Sufi Family In Gaza

"When we practice loving kindness and compassion we are the first ones to profit" - Rumi

UPDATED: April 29th 2024

I’m writing this article to ask for your generous donations to help me save a family of 21 people in North Gaza, from starvation. This is an honorable family descending from a lineage of traditional Sufi Islam. Their ancestry goes back 8 generations in Gaza and they are a very special minority group in Palestine.

I have known this family for 6 years. They are very dear to me and have touched my soul through their prayers, gracious hearts and blessed wisdom.

One of the sons from this family was my student for 4 years. I tutored him daily and helped him complete a university degree in English Literature so that he may have a chance to find work as a translator and help support his lovely family. For their protection, I cannot tell you their surname. I will just refer to them as the “Sufi family”.

Occupation forces dropped leaflets over North Gaza on October 13, ordering the entire northern population to evacuate to the south of Gaza. The Sufi family decided to remain in their homes in the north.

A month later, the so-called “safe corridor” from Gaza’s north to the south in Rafah, was filled with the body’s of martyred Palestinians. It contained “death in every color”, reported Al Jazeera. Countless men, women and children were being shot, killed and abducted by Israeli militants in the “safe corridor” and their fate is still unknown.

The Sufi family fell under siege by Israeli occupation tanks and snipers for several months. During this period occupation forces cut electricity and Internet services to north Gaza and I did not know if they were alive or ascended to heaven.

On March 12th, I received a message from the Sufi family, letting me know they are still alive but very weakened from forced starvation. Their home was shelled and severely damaged. This winter was the coldest for them!

Most of the walls of their house were destroyed and their beautiful memories disappeared.

60-70% of ‘sinfrastructure has been destroyed by occupation forces, since October 7th. Like all families in north Gaza, this Sufi family has no water in their home and they struggle to find food. All the trees, even the ones in the street were bulldozed by occupation forces to ensure there would be no food to eat. The Sufi family managed to survive by first eating animal feed. Then they had only grass and corn.

My former student is 29 year-old. he told me he now feels like he’s 90 years old. I asked him to describe their situation for others and this is what he wrote.

“I don't know how to begin to express our life here in Gaza, especially in the north. I will not describe to you the destruction of houses or streets because you may watch them on the news or any other media, and I will not tell you about the trees which cut them all even the trees on the streets (Zionists don’t want us to have food), but I am going to tell you about the people and especially my family.
I belong to a big family of eight persons. We stayed in our home and refused to move into the south because we knew the suffering in both sides will be the same. We stayed and stomached all the pain and we watched houses bombed on their owners and we couldn’t even save the survivors.
We lost many beloved relatives and beautiful youths and that was painful 💔. It's too painful 💔. Now we are facing a new kind of torture (starving), closing the borders and not allowing food to enter to the north put us in a bad situation, this forced us to eat animals food 😢 and you can imagine that. Grass and corn became our yummy food. Our health became bad, and we became too weak.”

Photo: A meal of grass soup in north Gaza - Anas Al Sharif

The Israeli occupation controls all humanitarian aid that enters through Rafah Crossing in southern Gaza. The Intercept documented the occupation’s use of mass starvation as a weapon of war.

Humanitarian convoys such as the Red Crossand the World Health Organization were shot and had to abort their mission when they attempted to bring aid to north Gaza.

“For at least the second time in just over two weeks, a convoy bringing aid to hunger-stricken northern Gaza ended in bloodshed late Thursday when Palestinians were killed and wounded in an attack surrounding the trucks, according to Gazan health officials and the Israeli military, which offered divergent accounts of what happened.” - Washington Post reported Friday.

The US Government began dropping bags of flour in north Gaza but occupation forces used it as an opportunity to massacre starving civilians. On the night of the first US air drop, hundreds of starving Palestinians trying to get a bag of flour, were executed or wounded. The UN condemnded the ‘Flour Massacre’ and urged Israel to end it’s campaign of starvation.

The eldest brother in this precious Sufi family was shot in both legs by Israeli snipers while trying to get a bag of flour for his family on March 13th, from a US air drop.

I cannot not stand by and watch this family starve to death without doing something to help them. They are now 21 people in the same house after the bombing of one of the sisters home.

My team has sent $650 to the family already from your generous donations. Half the money went towards medicine for the wounded brother and the other half was spent on food. Food is very scarce and prices have exploded. A pound of rice costs $40, for example.

Here’s the most recent heartbreaking update from my communication with the family.

“The most painful thing is the kids who keep asking us things and they don't realize or know that we are starving. We can't bring them what they ask and that effect them badly. They keep asking us for sweet and food but unfortunately we can't do anything except hurt inside.” 😢

In addition to their immense suffering and starvation, this is the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims. According to Islam, your generosity is rewarded especially during this sacred month. Charity is food for the soul and serves as a means of salvation as well.

Please consider donating what you can afford to help me keep this family alive. You can send donations to my Stripe account here:

Donate here: https://buy.stripe.com/28odSdcsug7374IeUU

UPDATE: April 29th 2024

My team first sent $650 to the Sufi family, in two transactions and then an additional $475 from your generous donations. They were able to buy medicines for the son who was shot in his legs by an Israeli sniper. Instead of starving with clover soup, grass and lemon, they were able to buy cans of tuna, canned beans and rice.

The Sufi family wants me to express their deepest gratitude to all of you for preventing their death by starvation by your donations and loving prayers. You have given them hope and renewed faith in humanity.

The Sufi family is still suffering and struggling. Bombing began to intensify a few days ago and food is still scarce in the north. Please continue to help me support them through this genocide.

Thank you so much!

Donate here:https://buy.stripe.com/28odSdcsug7374IeUU

I asked my friend to take some photos of the improved food they are eating so I can share it with you.

This is their breakfast now. Bread with tomato, herb and lemon juice.