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Islamic Relief condemns attack at Gaza school where it distributes food
We have lived 300 days of sorrow and suffering in Gaza
As Palestinians mark 300 ‘nightmare’ days since the escalation began in Gaza, an Islamic Relief aid worker* describes fear, trauma, and fading hope.
300 days of this nightmare. Can you imagine the feeling of being trapped in a horrifying dream, even for a couple of minutes? We Palestinians in Gaza have been feeling like that for the last 300 days.
We have spent our days and nights feeling like death is just around the corner. I have been feeling like an airstrike will bury me under the rubble. I have been feeling like my family will be wiped out and our house will be destroyed. I have been traumatized, crippled by fear, and distraught for 300 terrible days. I can’t function as a normal human being. I can’t breathe properly.
I can’t tell you more about the horrors that we have lived during this time: no matter how much I wrangle the words, I fail to describe the situation here in Gaza. It is beyond comprehension.
Heartbreaking last moments of Mohammed Bhar
The latest heart-rending story is that of Mohammed Bhar, a young man with Down’s Syndrome and autism, whom Islamic Relief had sponsored since he was a baby. The young man could not have fully understood what was happening when a combat dog, brought by the Israeli army to his family’s Gaza home, began mauling him. Reportedly, as the dog attacked Mohammed, he screamed and patted the animal’s head, pleading, “Khalas, ya habibi” (enough, my dear).
After the Israeli army forced his family from the home at gunpoint, Mohammed died of his injuries, his bloodied body left on the floor for his heartbroken relatives to find when they were eventually able to return. Oh Allah, I can’t imagine how his mother felt as she waited for the army to withdraw from the area, knowing Mohammed was alone, not knowing if he was alive or dead.
Palestinian families subject to brutal conditions in Gaza
There is no shortage of sorrowful and painful stories here. For example, my sister-in-law lives in Al Burej Refugee Camp. Her family were told to evacuate – to just go anywhere. This is the third or fourth time they have had to move. It is so hard on them: her father-in-law recently lost his leg in an airstrike and her mother-in-law suffers heart problems.
People do not know what to take with them. How do they choose from among their sentimental items, their clothes and belongings? People are tired of restarting their lives again and again. People want to rest. This war is not armies fighting each other – it is a war waged against the people, attacking their food, shelter, their water supplies, clothes, medication and land.
For the last 300 days, we have witnessed the most brutal conditions.
My children missed their entire school year. Their schools are being destroyed – I just watched a video of a school blown up with dynamite. Why? How much longer must my children be denied their education?
How about health services? My friend’s father has a problem with his blood, but doctors cannot diagnose him because the devices used for biopsies are unavailable in Gaza. Nobody is allowed to leave Gaza for treatment, and medical supplies are not allowed in. The man faces a death sentence, staved off only temporarily by painful interim treatments while he waits desperately for a diagnosis.
The Israeli army is intentionally depriving people of medical care. They are intentionally denying food to people in the north, purposefully preventing vaccines from entering Gaza so polio spreads, and deliberately stopping families from getting water.
I fear Gaza will never recover from 300 days of sorrow and trauma
What is this? Why this silence, world? I can’t understand it. I have lost faith in this world, which allows all these atrocities and injustices. I have started to think that death will be the only chance to rest.
I am sorry, my dear readers, that I am sharing all this sorrow and misery with you. But I can’t write anything good about our life in Gaza now. Yes, we love, we laugh, we dress, we go out and try to help others who need us – but we are destroyed inside. We are traumatised, irreversibly damaged.
Even if the war stops now, we will never be the same. As I said to my wife, our old life is gone forever. I told her I’ve started forgetting the daily routine which was so familiar just over 300 days ago. I have forgotten what time we used to wake in the morning. I do not remember my favourite perfume or my best clothes – my wife reminded me, “You had a green t-shirt that looked good on you”, but I do not recall that one. I do not recollect the restaurants we liked, the places that sold nice street food. My beloved city is falling out of my memory, and returning home is an ever-distant dream.
All we want is to rest. To take a breath. To break this cycle. To stop the war.
Please help Islamic Relief support people in desperate need in Gaza: Donate to our Palestine Appeal now.
*This blog is anonymised to protect the safety and security of our colleague and others mentioned. Read the other blogs in this series here.
300 Days of Conflict in Gaza
Islamic Relief heartbroken and appalled at killing of Mohammad Bhar
Islamic Relief is utterly heartbroken to confirm that Mohammad Bhar, the young man in Gaza with Down’s syndrome and autism who was mauled to death by an Israeli military dog, was part of Islamic Relief’s orphan sponsorship programme.
We are appalled at the horrific nature of Mohammed’s killing, which is shocking even amidst the daily atrocities in Gaza. Islamic Relief is calling for an independent international investigation into his death, and for all responsible to be held accountable.
Mohammad, 24, was killed during Israel’s recent attack on the Shujaiya neighbourhood of Gaza City, where he and his family lived. Mohammad’s mother, Nabila, told Islamic Relief that Israeli soldiers forced their way into the family’s home and the military dog started mauling a terrified Mohammad, tearing at his body as he screamed in agony and pleaded for the attack to stop. With Mohammad severely bleeding, the Israeli soldiers moved him to another room on his own, despite the fact that his illness meant his family was usually with him for support at all times. The soldiers refused to allow Mohammad’s mother or sister to enter the room to comfort him or bring him water, and shortly afterwards forced the women to leave the house at gunpoint while he was still alive. Mohammad was left alone in the dark room, critically wounded, scared and thirsty, until he died. His body was only recovered a week later when the Israeli military withdrew and his family and neighbours were able to rush to the house to find his remains.
Waseem Ahmad, CEO of Islamic Relief Worldwide, says:
“After so many months of atrocities it is hard to be shocked any more by news from Gaza. But the killing of Mohammad reached new depths of horror and everyone at Islamic Relief is utterly heartbroken. This was a truly horrific killing and the level of cruelty and suffering has shocked millions of people around the world. We can only imagine the fear and panic that Mohammad must have felt as he died alone and wounded, without his family beside him. All our prayers are with Mohammad’s family and friends. There must be accountability for such acts, and there must be an immediate ceasefire to finally bring the massacre in Gaza to an end.”
Mohammad and his mother have received support through Islamic Relief’s orphan sponsorship programme for more than 20 years, since his father died when Mohammad was just 2 years old. During Israel’s attacks over the past 9 months the family has been forcibly displaced from their home multiple times, like most families in Gaza.
The orphan sponsorship programme provides regular cash payments to help vulnerable families pay for healthcare, education, shelter and other essentials. Islamic Relief currently sponsors 15,700 orphaned children and youth in Gaza. Sponsorship begins when children are under 18 years old but can be continued later while they remain in school or if they are particularly vulnerable.
At least 117 children and young people cared for by our Orphan Sponsorship Programme are known to have been killed during Israel’s attack on Gaza over the past 9 months.
One year on from the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Morocco, many survivors are still struggling to rebuild and recover and need ongoing support, Islamic Relief says. Thousands of families in remote and mountainous rural communities still lack adequate shelter and essential services, and damaged infrastructure such as homes and schools need to be rebuilt.
Working with local partners and local authorities, over the past year, Islamic Relief has supported over 120 affected villages in Al Haouz and Chichawa provinces, providing over 65,000 people with aid such as food, winter survival clothing, and hygiene kits, as well as constructing two temporary schools and setting up mobile health caravans. These caravans provide some of the most remote communities with general medicine, pediatrics, dermatology, cardiology, and other vital care.
The 6.8 magnitude earthquake, which struck central Morocco on 8 September 2023, affected 2.8 million people and killed almost 3,000. It destroyed nearly 19,000 homes, damaged 60,000 others, and flattened at least 580 schools, as well as hospitals and other essential infrastructure. The destruction displaced around 500,000 people.
A year later, some families continue to live in makeshift shelters and tents and now face a second winter of homelessness. Their tents are exposed to the elements of the Atlas Mountains, where temperatures often drop below freezing. Islamic Relief has begun building 300 new homes so that people can have protection and privacy.
Many people lost their jobs as well as their homes, and communities require long-term support. Islamic Relief is committed to supporting people to rebuild their livelihoods so they can earn a reliable living and provide for their families.
Earthquake survivor Fatima* recalls: “I was sleeping when the earthquake struck. My daughter woke me up, terrified and panicked. She was extremely frightened and ran away. Then I noticed the ceiling of the room collapsing, and the wall next to me fell until I was trapped under the rubble. When I regained consciousness, only my daughter’s fingers were showing under the rubble. Thankfully we were rescued and are now fine, thank God, and thanks to the benevolent people who helped us. [Islamic Relief] have donated food, drinks, and utensils.”
Ghassen Alimi, Islamic Relief’s Head of Mission in Morocco, says: “The humanitarian needs were enormous in the wake of the earthquake, and there continue to be significant needs on year on. Thousands of those impacted in the Atlas Mountains are still suffering the consequences of the earthquake and need our continued support to help them rebuild. In the initial aftermath we faced great challenges because the destruction of important infrastructure and roads made it difficult to reach mountainous communities. But, thanks to the generosity of supporters all over the world, over the past year we have distributed vital aid such as food, blankets, mattresses and hygiene materials, and established health caravans so that rural families can access healthcare. We are committed to standing with these communities as they rebuild and recover.”
A year on, the people of Morocco are still piecing their lives back together. The reconstruction programme is costly and complex, and with Morocco particularly susceptible to natural disasters, there is a need for increased investment in building community resilience.
Islamic Relief’s response in Morocco is being done in close partnership with local Moroccan organisations, Al Mobadara Association and At Tawassol.