Ramadan is the most significant and holy time of the Islamic calendar. A sacred month that marks a period of fasting, reflection and devotion to Allah. For Palestinians in Gaza in 2024, it was the most difficult Ramadan they had ever faced.
At this point in 2024, Gaza had suffered under more than 150 days of relentless Israeli attacks and siege, starvation and displacement.
Najoud and her 5 children were displaced from Jabalia camp in December 2023 after Israeli bombs struck their shelter, killing her husband.
Displaced far from home
Najoud fled to Deir al-Balah, where she and her children took refuge in Al-Manfaluti school. The family have suffered through health challenges ever since, worsening their situation. Najoud suffers with anaemia and a slipped disc, while also has undergone a hysterectomy in the past. One of her daughters, Aya, has ear infections which require surgical intervention.
The family’s financial situation was extremely precarious due to a lack of income and the collapse of the economy in Gaza. They lived in a tent shared with 3 other displaced families.
“Initially, we couldn’t provide the basic necessities of life because we had no money or anything. We had no clothes or kitchen supplies and suffered from a lack of food and water,” Najoud describes.
“Our only source of food was sometimes dry bread and a few canned goods, which were difficult to obtain due to high prices. Initially, we suffered from illnesses like constipation, difficulty digesting food, and diarrhoea due to the lack of vegetables and fruits.
“My children went to sleep hungry, and we had no clothes. Winter came, and it was cold.”
A change in approach
Islamic Relief has been helping Palestinian families in Gaza for nearly 30 years, and continued saving lives throughout this latest, terrible crisis. We adapted our usual Ramadan food distribution support programme: switching from our usual approach, providing family food parcels, to delivering more than 121,000 hot meals to approximately 75,000 people. We also worked with the World Food Programme to deliver an additional 300,000 hot meals every day through our emergency response.
Najoud was thankful for the support.
“They [Islamic Relief] provided us with a meal every day and helped us face the difficulties we encountered during the displacement. We received clothes and vegetable parcels from them, which diversified our diet and improved my children’s health, treating them from malnutrition.
“May God reward them for all they have provided for us, supporting us in every way with food, nutrition, vegetables, and psychological support. We hope that those in charge of this work will continue to provide us with these necessities.”
Since a ceasefire came into effect in January, families like Najoud’s are returning to their homes, but most are finding their houses and apartments – like the majority of buildings in Gaza – lie in ruins. The situation in the enclave remains catastrophic. Families on the brink of survival now face Ramadan grieving the loved ones they have lost and unsure where their next meal is coming from.
Islamic Relief food distributions this Ramadan will ease their hunger.
With your support and in the name of Allah, we will make sure the most vulnerable have food during the holy month. Together, we will ease their suffering. Donate to our Ramadan Appeal now.
