!!!WARNING: SENSITIVE MATERIAL!!!

As seems to be more usual than not lately, the blogpost I am about to write is not the one I had intended for today. I really wanted to write about daily life under the threat of war, on some of the ordinary people who are stepping up to do extraordinary work and on comforting activities and comfort foods.

Over the past two days I’ve received word of good-hearted people who are living in the United States and the UK who want to help out somehow. No one likes to see the suffering of children. No one with a true heart for humanity wants to see innocents in harm’s way or being mistreated. Whether Jew or Christian, we all want a more peaceful world. Some of the charities mentioned sound reputable on the surface or were reputable at one time, but are now corrupt. By the end of this post, I will have provided places to give where your donations will be put to direct use for excellent causes.

There have been some facts that are not being reported or being misstated in your media that I would like to point out regarding charitable aid. Israel currently has roughly 243 hostages being held in Gaza. Israel has pleaded with the Red Cross to go in to do inspections regarding the state of the hostages: how many are alive? what is their condition? what are their needs? Both Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders have not been willing to step in.

Yesterday morning, an IDF soldier, Corporal Noa Marciano, 19, was declared dead.. Hamas sent her parents brutal photos of her badly beaten body claiming it was the work of Israeli brutality. The terrorists used Noa’s cell phone and her Facebook page to transmit the news. It was confirmed by the IDF, i24 News and Arutz 12 that she had been killed at the hands of Hamas. Can the Red Cross examine those taken captive? Why not? Why is Doctors Without Borders refusing to go into any of the areas? Why are they not checking the status of the Palestinian refugees coming from Northern Gaza?????

Within the past three days, evidence has been uncovered and there have been credible reports that a baby was born to one of the hostages. The mother was abducted at almost 33 weeks pregnancy. The mother has been over 5 weeks in Gaza. In what conditions are she and the baby being held? We need concrete information. Why does Red Cross or UN Women and Children’s Rights Organization refuse to come to the aid of Israeli women and children? At least 100 children have been taken from their homes. Why is their no humanitarian assistance? Or even outrage??

So far Israel has allowed humanitarian aid in to Gaza for the refugees through the Egyptian border. This is the third week of nonstop deliveries. Gaza receives one of the highest levels of financial aid in the world. Aid to Gaza has reached over $40 billion since 1994. Gaza should look like Dubai. Instead 86% of its residents live in abject poverty while the leaders of Hamas are living luxuriously in Qatar mansions.

Footage was recovered yesterday of Hamas operatives, scores of armed young men, swarming an aid truck. They were filmed pushing innocent civilians to the side as they grabbed boxes and sacks and carried them off. This is unjust. This is stealing from the poor. This is evil.

There is an organization called COGAT, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. It is a noncombatant IDF unit that actually works very closely with the Palestinian Authorities (West Bank) to coordinate humanitarian aid, civilian issues, diplomatic efforts, international relief, economy and infrastructure. COGAT works in tandem with the UN in both the West Bank and also in Gaza. They have been directly responsible for delivering humanitarian relief to the civilians of Gaza and to Shifa Medical Center. They coordinated efforts to provide the hospital with incubators to transport premature babies and infants in distress.

Israel has allowed in tents and tent city set up; porta-potties and sanitation items, food, medical supplies, water and fuel for the hospitals. Much is donated generously by other countries. It comes in through Egypt and through Israel checkposts. Much of it is stolen after it enters Gaza. Much is thrown out, completely unopened. The IDF found in Northern Gaza just outside Gaza City, sacks of grain, a gift from Japan, that were thrown into a pit, unused except to cover up a hostage that was dead. The IDF discovered this in N Gaza yesterday. It was not disclosed how the hostage died. The world will not tell you this.

As previously stated in other posts, Israel has directly helped the people of Gaza in many ways. More than 20,000 Palestinians have been allowed to enter into Israel each year to receive lifesaving treatment at Israeli hospitals free of charge to them. This has even included treating and curing a brain tumor in Yahya Sinwar, chief mastermind of the 7 October invasion and head of Hamas.

17,000 jobs were given to Palestinians in the past year in the Israeli construction, household, factory and agricultural sectors. 120 megawatts of electricity are provided by Israel to Gaza. They have not paid their power bills for over 6 years. 640 tons of cement; 50 truckloads of aggregates; 10 trucks of iron have been allowed into Gaza for construction of homes and infrastructure. These are part of the EU’s humanitarian assistance package. Mostly, this material has gone into the “Metro” project- over 500 miles of underground tunnel networks running the length and breadth of Gaza. One mile of terror tunnel amounts to approximately $160 worth of food for 800 families.

There are many nonprofit agencies that are promoting peace and unity between Palestinians and Israelis. Some of these include Musalaha Ministry of Reconciliation; Shevet Achim; Women Make Peace. Just yesterday morning it was announced that Vivian Silver, a Canadian Israeli living in Kibbutz Be’eri, founder of Women Make Peace, was among those whose bodies were identified as being massacred by Hamas on 7 October. “She was a woman of compassion and humanity with and endless, continuous and deep commitment who dedicated her life to justice and harmony and peace between Jews and Arabs.” (Anat Sargosti, friend) “She lived to build bridges of peace. Yes peace.” Vivian worked tirelessly to advance Palestinian rights and promote dialogue between the people of Gaza and Israel. Her mutilated body was just identified by dental records and DNA extraction.

Each year there are summer camps held in Israel which take in impoverished Palestinian children and children of international workers here. The children are well cared for, given play clothes, they eat nourishing meals and take part in wholesome, age-appropriate activities. They are children of East Jerusalem Palestinians as well as children of Philippine, Eritrean, Indian and Sudanese single parents or poverty stricken families. Some are children whose mothers are victims of domestic violence. Most parents are special visa international day-workers. My son volunteered as a counselor for one of these Israeli children’s camps in 2015 & 2016.

In Gaza and parts of the West Bank, Palestinian children attend military training camps. In the UNRWA funded schools, children are taught from kindergarten through graduation Palestinian propaganda and how to wage jihad and become a shahid. The children are taught that the Jew is vermin that must be extinguished. That all Israelis want to kill them. That Jews are colonizers, that all will grow up to be soldiers and must be eliminated early on. This is child abuse. The videos were filmed 8 years ago and originally aired on Memri TV. Today these children are Hamas fighters.

US and EU money given to the UN for humanitarian aid goes to enrich the coffers of Hamas leaders and to fund their war effort. The United Nations has thus far refused any investigation into war crimes committed by Hamas and PIJ. They will not speak to women survivors or victims, eyewitnesses to the horror. Both the UN and the Red Cross have flatly refused to get involved or mediate. Charitable donations, unfortunately, rarely reach their intended party or are used for true humanitarian purposes.

Several people have reached out asking where they can send a donation that will directly reached certain affected parties. I am NOT in a position to collect and distribute funds directly at this time. Charitable groups we support and those I believe are truly honest and need help are:

• ISRAEL 365 I have followed Rabbi Tuly Weiss for 12 years. An American-Israeli, Rabbi Tuly has set up not only a beautiful daily short email on the news of Israel, but a network of Christian and Jewish people who directly meet the needs of those in need. Rabbi has set up streams of charitable giving where 100% of your funding goes directly to the targeted cause. He has supported families of terror victims; those most affected by war or natural disaster; and women and children most in need. His organization has provided shelter, reconstruction projects to adapt homes for the disabled food and clothing to the poverty stricken. He is now directly involved in providing aid to the tens of thousands of displaced families due to the current war. Whether it’s a daily news blip; ways to stand in solidarity with the people of Israel through lighting candles; buying products to support entrepreneurs and small businesses or through direct donation, please go to Israel365news.com

• MEIR PANIM. This is an organization that has soup kitchens/free restaurants and that delivers door-to-door hot, nutritious meals once a day to elderly, Holocaust survivors; impoverished and displaced persons. The need at present is great. American Friends of Meir Panim is a registered 501(c). (3) non-profit organization, registered under EIN Number 20-1582478. Email: info@meirpanim.org. Address: 88 Walton Street Suite B1, Brooklyn, New York 11206
• ISRAEL TRAUMA COALITION This organization provides emergency relief for people and communities suffering from PTSD. The current was has many casualties not just physical (buildings and bodies) but psychological. People being forced to run for shelter whenever a siren sounds, whenever there is a loud noise. Children who have lost whole family members need so much help. There are tens of thousands displaced either temporarily or permanently. The winter is coming and people are in need of warm clothing. Hungry in need of food. This non-profit organization provides direct help. Israeltraumacoalition.org
• For those who have asked how to provide for innocent Palestinians especially children- I have called many sources. The best answer I’ve gotten is to call or connect with the Jordanian or Egyptian consulates regarding humanitarian aid at the Rafat Crossing. Sorry, I’ve been trying for 3 days- this is the best I could come up with.
• My husband and I are contributing to the Ittai Project. The Jewish communities in Judaea and Samaria are largely the forgotten ones in this war. Many of the men have gone to serve in reserves leaving farmland uncared for and under threat of destruction by their Palestinian neighbors. The women are left alone, often to take up the family business and to care for their small children. They are continually being shot at and threatened by the Palestinian Islamists who surround them. Project Ittai is on a mission to bring protective gear and night vision goggles to the men patrolling these towns as well as farm and agricultural equipment and help. There are also opportunities to come to Israel and serve directly. This is a joint Jewish and Christian group we wholeheartedly support. Serveisrael.com
• Mamale his a grassroots movement that started three weeks ago. It matches up young mothers who provide catering services as a source of income with families whose father is off in reserves with a multi-course, highly nutritious catered meal. These beautifully packaged meals provide much needed support to army wives who have not had their husbands/fathers home in weeks because they are at the front. Each meal includes handwritten notes of support and encouragement to these women. It’s a real blessing to the families. If you want to support them, let me know and I will provide you with a direct link to the two organizers.

May we have only good news the rest of the week-

RECENT UPDATE: BREAKING NEWS

A report to British authorities alleges that the Gaza manager for Global Relief Trust is a Hamas official; was on the ground at the Al Ahli Hospital incident