Dear Friend,

I don’t know what will be happening when this letter reaches you. As I write this, there is still enormous fear and suffering in Gaza, along with some moments of relief.

This is what Wafaa, who leads MECA’s work in Gaza, wrote when she went to see Gaza City for the first time after the ceasefire announcement:

I never imagined this city would become what people now call, a ghost town. Yes, the bombs have stopped falling momentarily—but a new kind of war has begun. A war for survival.

There is no life here. No clean water. No food. No shelter. People have lost everything—their children, their homes, their health, their dignity… even their faith in justice and humanity.

I want to share with you more about what Palestinians are facing—and about MECA’s response but first I want to ask you to do two urgent things:

#1 Print and place this “Free Palestine” sign inside or outside your home.  While Palestinians are struggling for survival and their demands for freedom are demonized, you can express your solidarity with this message.

#2 Make a special year-end contribution to MECA. The needs in Gaza are enormous in after two years of genocidal attacks.

You know the enormous scale of the devastation in Gaza. At least 67,000 people have been killed, and many, many more have been injured and deprived of food, water, and medical treatment. Ninety percent of the buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed. Tens of thousands of children will never see their parents again.

Meanwhile, in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers and soldiers are routinely beating and killing Palestinians while also destroying their homes and businesses. Roadblocks make it difficult for children and students to reach their schools, for farmers to harvest their crops, and for workers to get to their jobs. Thousands of Palestinians are in prison, while home invasions and arrests occur every night.

Your support and solidarity, makes MECA’s work possible under conditions of Apartheid, occupation, and genocide.

In Gaza, despite the constant terror and their own devastating losses, MECA staff members never stopped providing food, water, a children’s nutrition clinic, hygiene supplies, latrines with showers, garbage removal, activities for children, and more. Now, they are working as hard as ever.

Wafaa describes the work of MECA’s Gaza team now:

The challenges we face are far greater than we ever imagined. Yet we are still here, on the ground, working in the midst of the rubble— trying to reach the people here, to offer what little we can to ease their pain.

We clear some debris to pitch a tent for distributing vegetables and other emergency aid. We clear roads so water trucks can pass and lay water pipes. We reopen our community kitchens and build ovens to bake bread for the hungry. We distribute aid in whatever areas we can reach.

For 37 years, MECA’s staff, volunteers, and partners have been providing children with basic necessities for survival, along with ways to heal, places to play, opportunities to learn, and chances to dream.

I am very thankful for your support and solidarity. You are supporting the survival and the dignity of people who have lost nearly everything but refuse to give up.

In solidarity,

Zeiad Abbas Shamrouch
Executive Director

P.S. When people ask me what will stop Israel, how will this nightmare of genocide and ethnic cleansing ever end, it often comes down to just two words: Free Palestine. Please join me again in supporting survival and expressing your solidarity with the Palestinian people. Many Thanks.