Waiting for Aid, Dying of Hunger
July Newsletter 2025
The unholiness of the Holy Land is evident in the gruesomeness of war, oppression, and destruction. However, it never occurred to me that, in my lifetime, I would witness a famine in Gaza—or find myself constantly reminding the world that Gazans are not just numbers. People in Gaza are human beings with names and stories. Then I wonder why many governments persists in stripping Palestinians of their humanity.
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the entirety of the Gaza Strip is at a critical risk of famine, with 22% of the population classified under the irreversible catastrophic IPC Phase 5 of famine (Source). Al Jazeera has reported that over 127 victims have died due to malnutrition since the beginning of the attacks on Gaza, 85 of whom are children (Source).
The famine comes from a human-made starvation caused by Israel blocking hundreds of UN aid trucks, limiting it to an average of 28 trucks a day for two million people (Source).
In addition to blocking aid and closing the Rafah border, the Israeli military is targeting Gazan civilians seeking food. More than a thousand people have been killed while trying to get food. What I cannot fathom is how deliberate hunger is killing Gaza, yet Israel’s economy flourishes. The value of the New Israeli Shekel has spiked 89% since October 2023. Thus, while war kills Palestinians, war helps the Israeli economy.
For the international community, it is far easier to respond to a famine than to confront the word genocide. Famine compels an instinctive humanitarian reaction: send aid, save lives. But genocide—genocide demands reckoning. It forces questions that many are still unwilling to answer. Perhaps that is why it feels natural for some to search for a silver lining in the midst of atrocity, to soothe their own complicity. Some might find comfort in the humanitarian daily 10-hour pauses in Al-Mawasi, Deir El-Balah, and Gaza City, announced by the Israeli army in coordination with the UN and international bodies starting 27 July 2025 (Source), yet a pause is not enough. It is merely a distraction from the root cause of this famine crisis. Israel weaponizes starvation – a war crime under international humanitarian law. At the same time, Israel pretends to show humanity through tactical pauses, which the international community often praises instead of condemning the constant violations of humanitarian law.
As I dwell in anger, I keep asking myself: How do I reconcile with Zionists whose intention is to wipe me and my people out? Every time, I struggle to find an answer. Reconciliation is unattainable when Zionists refuse to recognize my humanity as a Palestinian. I remain open to reconciling with Israeli-Jews who are willing to co-resist with me against the realities of genocide and famine. However, I cannot reconcile with Zionist Jews or Christians who justify this suffering. The only point at which I can envision reconciling with a Zionist is when they start the process of acknowledging the harm their ideology and version of religion has inflicted on Gaza—when they name it, grieve it, and work to dismantle it. What my colleagues and I at Musalaha have come to understand is that true reconciliation requires sacrifice, especially from those in power. Israel faces a choice: to end the genocide, or to persist in targeting Gazan civilians trying to survive. Dehumanization makes famine possible. It justifies the unthinkable. And that is why responsibility does not lie with Israel and Israelis alone—it also falls on us all. Especially now, as all Palestinian voices within Israel/Palestine are being silenced- even though we still resist by simply existing and living while our neighbors in Gaza cannot – the international community must refuse to look away. What will it take for the world to stop this? Will it wait until famine claims two million lives in Gaza? When we erase the humanity of Gaza, we erase our own. When we normalize their hell, we forfeit our place in the kingdom of God.
For reconciliation to be effective in this context, we need accountability. It begins with a small act of justice that begins restoring our humanity, and that is where each one of us comes in. The international community must play a role in pressuring Israel to put an end to the suffering in Gaza. That is why we are asking you to stay active within civil society and continue pressuring your governments to take action. Let us all live up to the responsibility that each of us bears.
– Tamar Haddad, Project Manager
Children’s Summer Camp:
During the first week of July, we hosted our “We Plant Hope” Summer Camp for around 90 children from Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, Beit Jala—and even two students from Gaza. The camp was filled with learning, joy, creativity, and a powerful reminder of the resilience and hope rooted in the Palestinian community.
Our Young Adults group played a key role in leading, organizing, and volunteering throughout the week, helping make this experience meaningful for the children.
– Saleem Anfous, Project Manager
Muslim Christian Women Update:
The Muslim-Christian Women’s Group recently met to discuss two exciting upcoming outreach initiatives—marking the final step in their current project process.
The first project focuses on biodiversity and Palestinian plants, featuring educational stations and hands-on activities. The aim is to highlight how native plants are deeply connected to Palestinian identity and to explore how protecting them also means preserving culture and resilience in the face of ongoing challenges.
The second idea in development is an interfaith tour of Palestinian holy sites, open to Druze, Christian, and Muslim participants—offering a shared spiritual and cultural experience.
The group also welcomed two special guests who specialize in virtual tours using AI, sparking new ideas for how technology can support cultural and spiritual exploration.
Stay tuned for more details!
-Aseel Rian & Hiba Allati, Project Managers
Israeli Palestinian Civil Society Leaders Group Update:
After a delayed start due to recent regional events, the group was finally able to meet and reconnect. Grateful to be together again, they hit the ground running. They chose to focus on two projects: a booklet about Gaza and a community initiative in the village of Walaja. The group also spent some time reflecting, processing, and holding space for the depth of the situation. Overall, energy is building, and the group feels hopeful and motivated to move forward.
-Wasim Nasser, Programs Director & Daniel Munayer, Executive Director
Christian Muslim Civil Society Leaders Group Update:
On July 4, the Muslim-Christian Civil Society Leaders group held their first follow-up workshop after their desert encounter. Dr. Salim Munayer facilitated a session on interreligious conflict. The meeting took place shortly after the 12-day war between Iran and Israel, and participants shared that they were feeling low in energy during that time. Some of the workshop activities helped them reflect on their emotions in times of conflict. Despite the heavy atmosphere, the group was glad to be together again. The strong bond they formed in the desert was still very present.
-Tamar Haddad, Project Manager
Artistic Recommendation:
Gaza Mon Amour
2020 | Rom Com | 1h 27m
Directed by twin Palestinian filmmakers Tarzan and Arab Nasser, Gaza Mon Amour is a tender, quietly subversive love story set in the heart of Gaza. The film follows a lonely fisherman who discovers a mysterious statue, prompting him to confront his feelings for a local seamstress. Praised for its poetic storytelling, it won major awards at TIFF, Valladolid, and Cairo, and was Palestine’s official Oscar submission.
Today, as Gaza endures a brutal genocide marked by mass displacement, starvation, and the systematic destruction of civilian life, the film resonates more deeply than ever. It stands as a powerful reminder that love, humor, and human dignity persist—even under siege, amid hunger, grief, and relentless violence.
Gaza Mon Amour is available on Tubi, Roku, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Apple TV, and more.
Please join us in praying for:
- Gaza and for immediate and sustained access to food and aid, and for an end to the starvation and suffering. May the violence cease, the siege be lifted, and may this ongoing genocide come to an end. We pray for justice, protection, and the restoration of life and dignity for all.
- The MC Women’s group and the IP CSL group as they begin working on their projects. May they have dedication, wisdom, and unity as they move forward.
- Pray for the Muslim-Christian Civil Society Leaders group as they rebuild strength after a difficult season.
- Our colleague Maaike and her husband. May they be richly blessed on their honeymoon. May their travels be safe, their time together joyful, and their new life as a married couple filled with love and grace.