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Palestinians in the occupied territories have a long history of banding together in times of crisis.
During the first and second intifadas, families took turns baking bread for their neighbors, sheltering children who were being chased by soldiers, and braving tanks and sniper fire to transport the wounded to medical care.
Today in Gaza, as even the United Nations comes under fire, trapped families have literally nowhere to turn for help but to their neighbors.
Thousands of families in Gaza's largest refugee camp, Jabaliya, have been unable to leave their homes for days. Those who might have left to seek shelter at UN-designated safe havens are now too afraid to do so after an Israeli attack on a UN shelter killed scores of people trying to escape the fighting.
According to the United Nations, "[t]here is no safe space in the Gaza Strip -- no safe haven, no bomb shelters -- and the borders are closed, and civilians have no place to flee."
Making matters worse, few relief workers can get to the hundreds of thousands of civilians who remain helpless in their homes. (A report in today's Washington Post detailed the gruesome story of four children who were left to fend for themselves for four days. Red Cross medics found them emaciated and lying next to their dead mothers.)
As Israeli forces continue to hinder passage of food, water, and medical assistance, UPA-supported volunteers in Gaza's largest refugee camp, Jabaliya, are going door-to-door to make sure families can eat.
Through an emergency UPA grant, volunteers working with Relief International have identified 450 families who will receive direct food assistance during the three-hour cease-fire planned for January 9th and 10th.
"The plan," explained Relief International Program Officer Benjamin Granby, "is to procure basic food items on the local market during the first day's lull, prepare them for distribution, and get them to families the following day."
In all, Granby estimates that more than 2,700 people will benefit from the food assistance. "Each food parcel will contain salt, sugar, canned tuna, canned beef, rice, pasta and cooking oil and will last a family of 6 for two weeks," he added.
According to the United Nations, since Israel's "Operation Cast Lead" began on December 27, at least 758 Palestinians have been killed, 257 of whom have been children. The number of child fatalities has increased by 250 percent since the beginning of Israel's ground invasion on January 3. More than half of Gaza's population are children.
Please help us continue to provide emergency relief to the besieged people of Gaza.
