Children sit in rubble in Gaza.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza under Israel’s blockade is now receiving daily press coverage. But it was clear in March, after Israel broke the ceasefire in Gaza, that conditions had become increasingly desperate. I struggled to figure out how I could help.
Around this time a doctor in Gaza reached out to me on LinkedIn with a compelling plea and a GoFundMe request; I sent him a contribution. As usual, I make such donations public and share them on social media in the hope that others will follow suit. What I did not predict is that Palestinians in Gaza would notice and the floodgates would open with similar requests.
I donated money to a few more people in Gaza, including a woman who for safety reasons I will call Lolo. But I soon became overwhelmed as I clearly can’t help more than 2 million starving, desperate people.
I talked to my son, Josh, who has many Palestinian friends from his studies in Israel and Jordan and his activism, about whether all the requests were legitimate. He said he thought they were, and asked me, “If you have a choice between saving someone from starving, and losing some money, which will you choose?”
I still needed a way to provide support, but limit it in a way that was manageable and meaningful. After donating to Lolo she asked for my WhatsApp number so that we could stay in touch. Two more women in Gaza, Hamza, also a pseudonym, and Hanin, did the same, and I formulated my plan: I would help these three women’s families because they reached out in a way that allowed us to get to know each other. To help others, I provide support to the Middle East Children’s Alliance, which has been doing important humanitarian work there.
Each of these women are in a never-ending battle for their own and their family’s survival. They are all malnourished and with that comes an increased risk of infection, especially for the children. Hamza wrote to me on July 22 seeking help because her young son Muhammed was in the hospital with a lung infection and she needed money to pay for his care.
Sometimes I send them photos of the natural beauty around me to lift their spirits. Not long ago, after sending Hamza such photos, she responded, “It came at the right time, it brought joy to my heart and made me forget that I was hungry due to the closure of the markets and the scarcity of goods. I have not eaten bread for three days. There is no life in Gaza.”
Periodically, the women or their husbands contemplate suicide, but I encourage them to stay alive for their children. Hanin, who is currently homeless from numerous displacements, recently sent me a list of food prices in Gaza. A dozen eggs costs $73. A can of baby formula costs between $70 and $120.
I strongly condemned Hamas’ horrific Oct. 7 attack on Israel, with the slaughter of innocent civilians and capture of hundreds of hostages. But Israel’s destruction of almost everything in Gaza, along with the expulsion of aid organizations and closure of borders, has led to an amount of death, suffering and starvation that most of us cannot truly conceive. So I must speak out against Israel’s gross overreaction to the Oct. 7 attack too.
As a Jew, I can never accept the slaughter of innocents. Each of the women I am helping knows that I am Jewish, and my commitment to them is because I am Jewish. Lolo once wrote to me, “I will spread the culture of peace and coexistence. I want to bury the ideas of Hamas that terrorize us. We are human beings and we are all one race. We will reject terrorism. I never imagined that I would communicate with a Jew and that he would care about me and my family more than our scoundrel leaders, who incite us and push us to war. Damn them. You are a precious diamond to me. I will try to learn a lot from you. You are not just a friend. You are the hope and a new stage. There is no difference between us.”
All three families have been displaced numerous times. Since Israel has completely destroyed the economy in Gaza, there is no way for them to earn money to buy the scarce food and medicine they need to survive. They hope to get out of Gaza so they can live in peace. Occasionally, when I do not hear from one or more of them for a few days, I fear that they have perished.
We all dream of meeting each other one day and if there is any way I can help that happen, I will. In the meantime, I just hope I can help them survive the never ending siege of Gaza.
Jeff Spitzer-Resnick is a civil rights attorney, founding member and board member of Congregation Shaarei Shamayim, and an ambassador of Standing Together, the leading Israeli-Palestinian group campaigning for peace and justice in Israel/Palestine.
