life is a winking light in the darkness

Life here is not what we expected. Everything is expensive and difficult. We face endless challenges every day, whether in the cost of living or in trying to adapt to a new reality. Prices do not stop rising, and every step requires great effort. Rent, bills, food, everything seems to be pressuring us more and more.

With all this, there is a constant longing for our land and for our people who remained in Gaza. We live here, but our souls are suspended there, with every news we hear, with every new bombing, with every scream we hear. Missing my family in Gaza is a feeling that never leaves me. We are here trying to live and build a new life, but we feel that we are always waiting, waiting for something that we do not know when it will happen, if it will happen.

In these difficult times, any support can make a huge difference in our lives. Every small contribution helps us to continue and overcome these daily challenges, so that we can see a more stable future for ourselves and our loved ones.

To donate and help: [Click here](https://gofund.me/ba5b76e9)

rains have stopped now in most places and water levels are beginning to recede, but since many were evacuated from their homes, lots of people are in need of assistance

here is a running list of donation drives (accepting monetary or in-kind donations) that you can support to help those who were affected by the typhoon

note: all listed drives as of now only accept monetary donations via cash transfer methods that can only be done from within the ph

direct support to gaza:

esims for gaza - help keep gaza connected! plus, a purchase guide for buying esims

help ahmed (@90-ghost) evacuate his family from gaza (via paypal, kofi). gfm did not honor his successful fundraiser and he is starting from scratch.

help shayma evacuate her family (via paypal)

"I am Shayma and I’m a part of a 16-person Gazan family hoping to relocate to safety as soon as possible. Our house was bombed on November 4th and my sister martyred and left two orphans behind. I am hoping to raise enough money to get everyone out of this war-zone in hopes of building a better life abroad. Right now, due to the IOF’s constant threats, the Rafah border is closed. However, they take bribes that reach up to $7k per person to allow us out. I’ve already collected $31k outside of GFM and now am in need for a $85k more. Please help me reach my goal. Your help is much appreciated." (Text taken from gfm*)

*out of concern that gofundme may cancel fundraisers like they cancelled ahmed's, links to gfm will not be added unless any successful campaigns for palestinians are fulfilled.

charity aid: gaza and yemen

care for gaza provides on the ground food and aid to the gaza strip (via paypal)

feed yemen - as retaliation for the houthi blockade in the red sea, the un world food program has cut food aid to yemen, a country that has been under enforced starvation for nine years. donate to: islamic relief usa, mona relief (based in yemen)

the palestinian children's relief fund: the Gaza Relief and Recovery campaign aims to address urgent humanitarian needs and support long-term recovery efforts in Gaza.

i am including the un world food program which has been distributing aid in gaza but please note they have paused food aid to yemen. while this does not appear to be a retaliatory measure, you may consider this when choosing where to donate.

Legal aid for protesters:

Palestine Action targets arms manufacturers in the US and UK

Palestine Legal offers legal defense in the US for those who are arrested in the course of protest or sabotage on behalf of Palestine

ahmed and his family are in rafah city, which has been heavily shelled and is still under seige. there is little shelter left untouched by bombings, drone strikes, bulldozers, and other acts of violence and hostility against innocent civilians. no where is safe, people are living in conditions crowded well beyons capacity with little to no shelter, with very little clean drinking water - and, even then, people have to walk upwards of a mile to access water, if they can even reach it at all, all while knowing a drone strike or sniper could be waiting for them or the loved ones they left behind while obtaining water.

in gaza, people (injured people, sickly people, immunocompromised people, pregnant people, babies and children, disabled people - ALL people.) are living in unsanitary conditions, with little to no access to what little medical assistance remains after the assassinations, murders, and demolitions of medical personnel, hospitals, and ambulances. solar panels have been destroyed all over palestine by the IOF and fuel has been restricted from passing through the blockade, in an attempt to eliminate any power; many temperature sensative medications, vaccines, and food, as well as medical equipment, cell phones, lights, and any way to stay warm have been compromised, lost, or destroyed. many people had to flee without their winter clothes, and many palestinians have been braving the rubble not only to search for and rescue the missing and dead with their bare hands, but to seek clothes, blankets, and other necessities.

people live with the constant sounds of drones, planes, explosions, and human suffering. it never stops, not even when they sleep - if they can sleep. at any moment, anywhere, a strike can occur.

the situation grows more dire, more lethal, and more inhumane with each passing moment, and ahmed has said morale and hope are low in gaza. especially after he reached his GoFundMe goal but the platform refused to release the funds (even after requesting and receiving he and his family's personal, sensitive information), ahmed has felt depressed. the despair and suffering in gaza is beyond my ability to describe - and i do not have to, as palestinians have been sharing their experiences, losses, injuries, suffering, fear, despair, anger, hope, and calls to action with us not only since october seventh, but for decades.

as i have said before: donate to ahmed's ko-fi and paypal. follow ahmed @90-ghost for updates on how to help him, and check his ko-fi and tumblr posts for updates. send him nice, respectful asks! reblog his posts depicting he and his family's life in gaza. read tumblr user neaeach (naoual sahe)'s interview with ahmed. @palipunk , @fairuzfan , and @el-shab-hussein have a wealth of resources and information hosted on their blogs, and have answered a truly staggering amount of questions in regards to palestine and palestinians, Islamophobia, Arabism, zionism and the aparthied settler colony of israel, and what we should know, what we should do, and what we should challenge ourselves and others to think about.

bring hope. listen to palestinians, don't speak over them. look to palestinians for actions to take, be that demonstrations, boycotts, buying esims, donating, reading their books, listening to their music, learning about their arts such as the stunning and beautiful embroidery tatreez, reading their poetry, or striking. if you have connections to media outlets, journalists, or platforms with a broad reach, please not only share and preserve palestinians' accounts of their suffering, culture, joy, and all aspects of their lives they share with us (with credit and permission!), but reach out to them. be kind and respectful. ask to interview them. ask if they have been interviewed or written articles/journals in the past that you can share. do not speak over or for them; amplify their voices, and drown out anyone who dares do otherwise until they can't ignore them.

naoual sahe's interview with ahmed:

ahmed's posts, as i linked above:

American mutuals, I seriously urge you to tell Congress and Biden to stand with Palestine, and do not stop sending this message. You can also donate here.

Gaza Emergency Appeal

UN Relief for Palestine Refugees

Support Gaza Hospitals

Islamic Relief Palestine Emergency Appeal (UK)

Medical Aid for Palestinians

UN Crisis Relief

Humanitarian aid

Palestine Red Crescent Society