AT night, when the sound of Israeli drones grow louder, Haitham Al-Saqqa’s young daughter Lur asks him: "Baba, is the war completely over, or will it come back?"
“She sees the destruction all around her and, in her young mind, she thinks everything can just stop in an instant,” he said.
“I stand helpless before her questions—questions no one truly has the answers to. The best I can do is reassure her, week by week.”
Amidst all of this fear, uncertainty and the sheer struggle to survive – Al-Saqqa is also an aid worker for Medical Aid for Palestinians, working as a nutrition program officer.
The organisation – which The National is supporting with our ongoing fundraising campaign (donate by clicking this link or the banner above) – is one of a few who are still able to provide aid on the ground in Gaza.
And its employees, like Al-Saqqa, are providing crucial aid amid fears that Gaza’s healthcare system could totally collapse soon as Israel continues to block aid. This could kill more people than the conflict itself, the British Red Cross has warned – with only 16 of Gaza's 36 hospitals currently operational and just 1822 hospital beds available, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
All of this lifesaving work is being undertaken whilst also battling to survive themselves.
It’s why The National has launched a fundraiser with Medical Aid for Palestinians, looking to raise £50,000 by the end of this week. Please donate what you can by clicking the linked banner above or this link here.
Another MAP worker, Norhan Almuzaini, was heartbroken when her uncle died just days before the ceasefire with Israel was announced.
Speaking afterwards, the project manager said: “The only thing I know for sure is that now, I will finally allow myself to cry for everything I’ve felt from the very first day of the war until today. It’s really hard to put my feelings into words right now. My emotions are all over the place. I feel happy, deeply grateful, and I thank God that we survived all these massacres.”
She added: “I’m also devastated by what has become of my beloved city, all the places that are now gone. Gaza was so precious to me and still is. I’m also shattered that my sister and her son were forced to leave Gaza, traveling to the other side of the world. I used to see them at least twice a day, and now they’re so far away.”
Basel Aburamadan, meanwhile, was shocked by the devastation when he first returned to his apartment in Al-Rimal, a neighbourhood in Gaza City.
“The past five days have been exhausting, spent clearing debris, shattered glass, and tons of dust—especially challenging given that I live on the seventh floor,” he said.
“I also had to repair the water supply, reinstall barrels, reconnect the internet and power, and replace all the doors that had been blown off. There’s still work to be done, particularly replacing the windows that were completely destroyed. The effort continues just to restore the bare minimum of normal life.”
Amidst all this, he is back to work for MAP in their main office.
Fikr Shalltoot, MAP’s Gaza Director, said meanwhile that Palestinians are holding onto hope now for a permanent ceasefire but hit out at Israel’s “cruel” decision to reinstate a total blockade on aid.
“It threatens to undo it all – plunging people back into despair, starvation, and fear. I am devastated for Palestinians in Gaza who, after 15 months of Israel’s military bombardment, finally had a brief respite during the temporary ceasefire. People who had endured unimaginable suffering began to reclaim a sense of life, even as they mourned their losses.”
All money raised by The National during our fundraiser goes directly to this important charity, whose brave workers are on the ground providing urgently needed medical aid and mental health support in Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Lebanon.
Click the red banner above to head to the donation page or use the following link: medpal.donorsupport.co/page/TheNational
