“We can’t give Gaza only seasonal attention,” AFSC's Jehad Abusalim said in an interview. “The violence continues. Ending the political isolation of Gaza and trying to make Gaza a place we can imagine living in is our mandate.”
Thanks to supporters like you, we're providing aid to elderly Palestinians and their families whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged in the attacks on Gaza.
For eleven days in May 2021 the Israeli military bombed Gaza, killing at least 242 Palestinians including 66 children. A ceasefire has been reached, but as Refaat Alareer outlines in this clip, the cost for Palestinians in Gaza in terms of loss of life, destroyed homes, and suffering has been enormous.
AFSC staffer Jehad Abusalim, who is from Gaza, shared this statement in response to recent news.
I celebrate the cease-fire with ambivalence. That’s because, even though it puts a temporary end to the spectacular violence of the past 11 days, it will not end the everyday violence in Gaza and across the occupied territories that has been going on for 73 years.
This article was first published in June 2018. It was edited and updated on May 17, 2021.
On March 15, 2021 Rep. Mark Pocan and Rep. Andre Carson led in the sending of a letter to Secretary of State Blinken requesting that the State Department take action to ensure that the Israeli government provide COVID-19 vaccines and facilitate vaccination programs for Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza.
The stories linked below provide glimpses into the lives of four young people currently living in Gaza.
While the Biden administration has indicated it will restore critical humanitarian funding for Palestine, we need political action to bring lasting peace with justice.
