We cannot do Abood A justice by paraphrasing what he told us today. We'll let you read his words.
"I just got back from delivering today's water truck, and right now all I can say is: Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah. God saved me and my team from the bombing. Praise be to God for sparing our lives.
We were on our way to fill the truck with water. About 100 meters behind us, there was a jeep, and it was struck directly by an airstrike. The truck driver immediately accelerated to get us away from the attack, which could easily have hit us as well. Despite that, we continued to the water station and filled the truck. Then, on our way to the camp, we had to drive back through the same street where the strike had happened. I saw the vehicle that had been hit, and I filmed it.
There was one martyr. They couldn't find his body intact and had to collect his remains from the scene using bags. There were also more than 14 people injured who happened to be passing by on the road."
And yet they kept going.
They filled the truck.
They delivered the water.
That is what it takes to keep people alive in Gaza.
Those of us sitting in comfortable homes, with food on the table and clean water whenever we want it, cannot truly understand what Palestinians endure. Not even for a moment.
And we want to pause on that.
Because it's not just "comfort." It's the thousand tiny things we don't even register as blessings. We sit behind windows that keep out the dust and heat. We have electricity humming in the background, powering our lights, refrigerators, fans, and phones. We have walls that keep out mosquitoes, flies, and pests instead of fighting them every night in a tent. We have roofs that don't leak, floors that aren't dirt, and the luxury of silence instead of drones and explosions.
These are privileges so ordinary that we forget they're privileges at all.
Meanwhile, in Central Gaza, Alaa is facing a different challenge.
In Alaa's words:
"My phone hasn't stopped ringing. Camp leaders we've visited over the past several days are calling, pleading with us to send them more water trucks.
The situation is becoming more difficult by the hour.
In this relentless heat, water is no longer simply a necessity. It is survival.
Thousands of families, children, and elderly people are facing severe shortages of clean water. Some water stations have stopped operating altogether, and the crisis grows worse every day."
This is why we cannot stop.
Every day Abood leaves his home knowing he may not come back.
Every day Alaa does the same.
Because of the danger in Central Gaza, Alaa cannot use the larger 12,000-liter trucks, even though they are significantly cheaper per liter. The larger trucks draw too much attention, increasing the risk to the team. Instead, he uses smaller 5,000-liter trucks because minimizing visibility gives them the best chance of reaching the camps safely—and making it home alive.
These are calculations no humanitarian team should ever have to make.
But this is the reality of Gaza.
We created Gaza's Forgotten Families because too many camps were being overlooked. We go where the gaps are. We seek out the families that many aid agencies cannot reach, and we continue returning because the need never ends.
Water is life.
Every truck means another camp survives another day.
Every donation becomes clean drinking water.
If you are able, please help us keep these trucks on the road. The need is urgent, and the calls for help are only growing.
We appreciate each and every one of you who supports the people of Gaza. We truly do.
But…
The people of Gaza will cease to exist if we don’t do more.
If you have any voice, use it to scream from the rooftops about what’s happening.
Use it like this was happening to your family. Use it so your voice goes hoarse.
We have to lift our voices higher than ever. Because if we don’t, ours will be the only voices left in a desert of silence filled with dead bodies that once was Gaza.
We’re reaching that point and there is no one to stop them but you. All of you.
Do whatever you can - please.
🔗 https://chuffed.org/project/183781-gaza-forgotten-families-fund
And for these two young men, one barely out of his teens… if you want to show them appreciation and love, please support them and their families. Links are below. Thank you.
Abood:
https://chuffed.org/project/174135-seven-lives-one-20-year-old-help-abood-survive-this
Alaa:
https://chuffed.org/project/171331-alaa-and-his-two-little-ones-seek-hope
🤲🤲🤲🤲🤲🤲🤲🤲🤲🤲
I’m so thankful Abood was saved from this tragedy. I’m also incredibly blessed to consider Abood my friend. He is a perfect example of the Palestinian hero: kind, generous, courageous and humble. There couldn’t be a better representative of what it means to be a Palestinian. Thank you again Abood, for all that you do and all that you are.
And thank you Kathy and everyone that’s part of Manufacturing Dissent and the Gaza’s Forgotten Families program. You’re helping to save the lives of the most desperate of peoples. The Palestinians need everyone’s help. By supporting this courageous program, people are contributing to the survival of the most vulnerable. Please donate today.