We are a team of volunteers in the US and UK, led by two sisters passionate about helping our friends on the ground keep their families and
How it works:
You give to this common pool (and click "weekly" to join 280+ others offering dependable support each week!)
Every week, we divide funds equally and transfer directly to the families by bank transfer
We record all incoming donations (anonymously) and outgoing transfers here: tinyurl.com/HGC-Accountability
You are welcome to instead give to an individual campaign - all are linked on our Chuffed Page
30 May - Our most important update: Hunger, death, displacement
"In light of the catastrophic humanitarian conditions that our people are experiencing in the Gaza Strip, and the continued suffering of thousands of poor and displaced families who depend mainly on food aid provided by humanitarian institutions, we were surprised by the decision of the World Central Kitchen administration to stop supplying food to the areas east of Salah al-Din Street...This unjust decision comes at an extremely difficult time, in light of the continuing aggression and the worsening economic and humanitarian crisis, which will lead to depriving thousands of families of the meals they depend on on a daily basis as a main source of food." (Statement by leaders and civil society organizations in Bureij refugee camp, 18 May)
"The number of trucks arriving into the Gaza Strip today, Friday, through the Kerem Shalom crossing reached 6 aid trucks." (Gaza Crossings and Borders Authority, 29 May)
"The head of the Fishermen's Syndicate confirmed that what the fishing sector and fishermen are being exposed to represents a "comprehensive and systematic process of destruction" led by occupation authorities aiming to end this historic profession." (Quds Press, 29 May)
"Since the ceasefire agreement took effect 227 days ago, Israeli forces have committed 3,005 violations, according to the Government Media Office in the Gaza Strip, including bombardments, direct attacks on civilians, repeated live fire, and incursions into residential areas." (QNN, 27 May)
"We warn of the escalation of a systematic pattern of occupation in Gaza, which is based on the forced evacuation of homes, then bombing and destroying them." (Gaza Center for Human Rights, 24 May)
"The ceasefire in Gaza did not achieve any progress in terms of providing aid and the safety of the population. The hope that the ceasefire would put an end to the suffering and provide emergency relief has faded." (Representative of the Palestinian Red Crescent in Gaza, 22 May)
"We warn against the return of famine and the exacerbation of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza amid escalating Israeli violations." (Palestinian Cabinet, 19 May)
"The headline sounds simple: yesterday, 22 trucks carrying fruits and vegetables entered Gaza. But once you examine what those trucks actually contained, the scale of the disaster becomes painfully clear. Take cucumbers as an example — just one-tenth of a truck, amounting to roughly 1.5 tons. At an average of 20 cucumbers per kilogram, that's 30,000 cucumbers for the entire population. Now imagine the reality behind that number: Gaza would need the same quantity to enter every single day for more than two months just for each human being to eat one cucumber over the span of two months. And this is not an exception. The same pattern applies to most of the food products entering Gaza. The Israeli occupation relies on images, headlines, and statistics to convince the world that aid is flowing into the Strip, while on the ground it is enforcing an unprecedented system of engineered starvation and siege against an entire population." (Asem Alnabih, 7 May)
Against this backdrop, virtually every family in the Giving Circle has faced nearby airstrikes in the last five days, as the occupation's bombardment is escalating every hour; Friday night alone saw one bombing every 1 hour and 20 minutes. Some of our friends narrowly missed these airstrikes by metres—multiple times. They are losing their friends and neighbors, describing an environment of extreme fear. Forced displacement looms as the occupation occupies 60% of Gaza, constantly shelling the eastern areas of Gaza, advancing the "yellow line," bombing tents and food stores, and issuing displacement orders before detonating residential blocks in the heart of neighborhoods. The occupation is also implementing a policy of deep psychological terror, threatening this week to occupy 70% of Gaza and resume the full-scale aggression.
Latest impact and urgent next needs remain the same: Food, medical care, rent, food, diapers. Costs for food and other essential supplies are devastatingly high as the blockade continues and escalates.
Giving update: We are catastrophically losing the backbone of the giving circle - recurring donations. We've gone from 78% to 72% of our weekly goal covered by recurring donations, most of that loss in the last three weeks. The best way to give is still by clicking "weekly" or "monthly" on something small. 292 members of the giving circle ensure help each week.
Other ways to support: Give on behalf of a loved one here. For greeting cards, art, and more, check out our "shop," Kurkar. Spread the word for free with our freshly updated toolkit of premade materials for printing, posting, and emailing.
We keep going. We stay focused. We find solutions.
–Divya
