As Israel’s latest bombing campaign of the Gaza Strip comes close to entering its second week and the number of civilians killed climbs, international relief groups have been working to bring aid to Palestinians who have lost or fled their homes during the conflict.
While the government of Qatar has been working to solve the crisis diplomatically, others here are working to mitigate the damage that’s already been caused.
In time for the last days of Ramadan, Qatar-based youth group Mission20, in partnership with Eid Charity, has announced a fundraising drive to help the embattled Gazans.
It is urging residents to contribute to the cause by:
- Sending an SMS to 920246 to donate QR100* (Ooredoo users only);
- Donating online here; or
- Calling to make donations in person around Doha.
Donations will go toward food and medical support for those in need in the Palestinian territory, where, according to the United Nations, hundreds have been killed and thousands are seeking shelter:
More than 83,000 people are now taking refuge in UNRWA schools in #Gaza. Numbers are growing.
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) July 21, 2014
In a statement on its website, Mission20 said:
“Doing protests and similar activities will not make a direct impact on them, but we are coming up with something where you can show what is in your heart through words… Providing financial support will give them the needed support now.”
Meanwhile, in a show of solidarity, telecom provider Ooredoo tweeted today that all mobile calls to Gaza would be free until the end of July:
#WeAreAllGaza Ooredoo customers in Qatar can now make free mobile calls to Palestine from today 3pm until 31/07/2014 pic.twitter.com/vjM0jfzKCv
— Ooredoo Qatar (@OoredooQatar) July 21, 2014
Katara and Aspire are also contributing:
This is commendable. Hats off! pic.twitter.com/WTKGWhwdxl
— Doaa Jabir (@hungrybirdsdoha) July 21, 2014
For more ways to donate to Gaza, see here.
Thoughts?
*Editor’s Note: This article initially said QR10 would be donated.
Yes, we have to help those who are suffering at Gaza…But what about people of Mosul?
http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/07/20/Mosul-s-Christians-Ordered-to-Convert%20as-Militants-Burn-Down-Cathedral
Ethnic cleansing of Christians has been going on in Iraq since the fall of saddam, now it has taken a vicious turn. Nothing really new it has been happening in Arabia since 700 and in the lands conquered by the Muslims in North Africa and the levant shortly afterwards,
Good move, but is there any international monitoring agency (or UN) involved in the fund collection and utilisation for Gaza?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/18/us-palestinians-hamas-financing-idUSKBN0FN1RI20140718
Good move. Is there any International monitoring agencies (approved by UN) is responsible for the effective utilization of the fund collected? Or such questions are out of question?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/18/us-palestinians-hamas-financing-idUSKBN0FN1RI20140718
People beware of where your money is going. If I had any confidence that this was going to the UN or Red Cross to provide food/medical care/accommodation to civilians then that would be one thing, but I refuse to have my money to go towards more violent action.
There are other more legit donation websites that give more certainty to where your money is going.
Eid Charity is a well known and respectable organization. There is no reason for you to cast doubt on their integrity or the effectiveness of their aid. As for what you consider “violent action”, I urge you to pay closer attention to the news and educate yourself about both sides in this conflict. Please do not divert badly needed aid without evidence for your “concerns.”
Are you serious?Mission20 isnt funding for more violent action,they are trying their best to help.You dont want to contribute,thats fine but dont assume things without knowing about the group or their objectives!
My whole point is that I don’t know the group or their objectives and the link in the article takes me to an all Arabic site, so that doesn’t help me. If you know more about them then good for you, but I can’t allow my money to go towards something I know nothing about.
I agree with you absolutely. After all there is a source for Hamas obtaining all this money for rockets and missiles. If you want to donate, better route it through some UN recognized charity.
Personally I’m more comfortable giving money directly to UNRWA. The Mission 20 website hardly fills me with confidence. You can donate to UNRWA through direct deposit:
1) BANK OF PALESTINE PLC
RAMALLAH BRANCH
WEST BANK, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES
SWIFT CODE: PALSPS22
BENEFICIARY NAME: UNRWA
BENEFICIARY ACCOUNT NO. : 203999
IBAN : PS63PALS045802039990011600000
2) Arab Jordan Investment Bank
West Amman Branch
UNRWA
Account No. 022306028120020648000
Swift Code AJIBJOAX600
IBAN No: JO18AJIB2230006028120020648000
Or via their website
http://www.unrwa.org/donate
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/07/22/gaza-rocket-cache-found-by-un-next-to-school-it-was-using/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NP_Top_Stories+(National+Post+-+Top+Stories)&__federated=1
You know nothing about it and you blatantly say the money may lead to more violent action?You are in a way tarnishing image of an organization with good intention.If you dont want to contribute,its fine.But dont generalise without any facts!!
I’m saying that this is a source I trust or necessarily believe, but the point is – how does anyone know where this money is intended to go, or whether it will get there:
The United States has blocked the transfer of Qatari funds earmarked for the salaries of civil servants hired by Hamas in Gaza, The Times of Israel has learned.
A diplomatic source in the Gulf state, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Qatar had transferred hundreds of millions of dollars to Arab Bank for the salaries of some 44,000 Hamas civil servants. Those civil servants — employed by Hamas in Gaza since its takeover of the Strip in 2007 – were rendered jobless by the unity agreement with Fatah last month.
But the money was never processed by Arab Bank and delivered to Hamas, the source told The Times of Israel, due to pressure from the Americans, who consider Hamas a terror organization.
“This is strange, since funds from Qatar have never been blocked in the past,” the source said, referring to the $400 million aid package pledged by Qatari ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa during his visit to Gaza in October 2012.
Hamas’s deputy political bureau chief Moussa Abu Marzouk lambasted Arab Bank for neglecting to process the funds in comments posted on his Facebook page June 28.
“Our thanks to Qatar, which has transferred the funds to Arab Bank,” wrote Abu Marzouk, adding sarcastically that “with excessive Arabness Arab Bank has refused to receive the money. PA President [Mahmoud Abbas] and the national unity government continue to discuss the mechanism, but there are those who continue to insist on receiving orders from the outside or implementing them before they are spoken.”
The US State Department and the Arab Bank did not respond to requests for comments on the matter.
Read more: US blocked Qatari funds intended for Hamas employees | The Times of Israel http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-blocked-qatari-funds-intended-for-hamas-employees/#ixzz38BofjJJd
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/congress-qatar-stop-funding-hamas-93965.html
http://www.qcharity.com/ is another reputable humanitarian aid organization
My worry about all Qatar charities is that they are administered within Qatar – the money is likely to be routed to Gaza via Khaled Mashal.
Trainings can be misrouted ! About Fundings?
http://rt.com/news/161820-us-trains-syrian-rebels/
You realise that’s a Russia Today link, right?
What about
https://dohanews.co/report-us-training-syrian-rebels-qatar/
Yep. This is another reason not to trust Qatar. They will do anything, literally anything, if they see it as being politically useful,
About this?
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/foreign-affairs-defense/syria-arming-the-rebels/syrian-rebels-describe-u-s-backed-training-in-qatar/
About this?
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/30/world/middleeast/sending-missiles-to-syrian-rebels-qatar-muscles-in.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Words should be spoken responsibly, a lot of opinions and likelihoods being shared on here about how money buys rockets for Hamas or funds terrorism if given to a certain charity is a pretty bleak and disgusting way to look at the world, I’m sure all purchases and donations are considered with the same level of scrutiny. If you have information on good charities, then share it, if you have some opinion based on some thought or theory but not based on fact, then you may as well join in bombing hospitals because they would be a great place to store weapons or fire rockets from
http://www.thewire.com/global/2014/07/hamas-rockets-found-in-second-united-nations-school/374874/
Another good way to donate and have reasonable confidence that the money will go to the right people, i.e., the children and victims of war, is through the international red cross, or red crescent as it is called in this region. The red cross has a good long term reputation as being non -political, yet ever present in conflict zones around the world. Another good one is Medicins san Frontiers. Very brave doctors and nurses are working in many countries, helping refugees, interfacing with other aid organisations, etc. The fact that these organisations are trying to relieve the suffering in Gaza, the West Bank, and refugee camps surrounding Israel, grates on the Israeli leaders, but they cannot stop this effort. So when an Israeli 155mm artillery shell again this morning ‘accidently’ hits a UN school sheltering civilians, one finds it a little hard to believe the degree of ‘accident’.