On Aug. 5, 2022, Israel launched another military assault of Gaza. Over three days, the attacks killed at least 47 people—including 16 children—and injured over 300.
In this interview, Gaza Program Officer Serena Awad and Program Coordinator Ali Abdalbari share their experiences from the escalation—and how communities have worked to recover since then.
This week marks 55 years since the Six-Day War in 1967, when Israel occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza, and the Syrian Golan.
In May 2021, Israeli air raids destroyed many homes and schools in the Gaza Strip. The attacks came as the COVID-19 pandemic was already preventing many students from attending school.
Every year, the U.S. wastes $3.8 billion dollars sending weapons to Israel and funding its military. With U.S. taxpayer funds, thousands of Palestinians have been killed or displaced. Countless homes, hospitals, schools, and other institutions have been destroyed.
Israeli, Palestinian, and international human rights organizations have all described the situation in Palestine and Israel as one of Apartheid. This is a reality that must be understood and addressed.
“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.
