As we approach the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the brutal war in Gaza has entered its sixth month. The attack on Gaza has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians, including 13,000 children. Aid delivery to northern Gaza is being restricted, causing many more people to starve.
Worse still is the Israeli threat to launch a ground operation in Rafah during Ramadan, where more than 1.5 million people are crowded together, many of them displaced from other parts of Gaza. What was once a “safe zone” declared by the Israeli army is now a densely populated refugee camp. Rafah has an area of around 63 square kilometers (24 square miles). The average population density is now more than 22,200 people per square kilometer (57,276 per square mile). That's twice the density of New York City.
Attacking Rafah would be a bloodbath. The entire world – including the United States – has warned against the operation, but, based on the rhetoric of Israeli government officials, there appears to be little chance that the attack on Rafah will not take place.
The beginning of Ramadan, which would normally be a time of celebration, love and dedication to Allah (SWT), has now become a fearful date for the Palestinians of Gaza. For more than five months, they have been deprived of food, water, medicine and their homes. Now they will also be deprived of a peaceful celebration of their holy month.
If true to the threat formulated, the invasion begins during Ramadan, it will be the end of Gaza's humanitarian crisis and the beginning of its humanitarian disaster.
For us on the outside, watching this catastrophe unfold has been extremely painful. Many have felt helpless in the face of Palestinian suffering, but we can and must do something about it.
Giving to charities is a key pillar of Islam all year round, but in Ramadan Muslims give even more. This emulates Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who was especially generous during the holy month and we believe that the blessings for those who donate are significantly multiplied.
This year, this Ramadan, it is essential that every person – Muslim or non-Muslim – give every last penny they can to help the people of Gaza. Families across the Gaza Strip, especially in the north, are going hungry. The United Nations Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the hunger monitoring agency, has confirmed: “This is the highest proportion of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity that the IPC initiative has ever classified for an area or specific country”.
Muslims must fast during Ramadan. However, the conflict means that when the time comes to break their fast, many Palestinians in Gaza will have nothing to eat or drink. Since October, parents have routinely chosen not to eat or drink so their children can eat.
Even if the attack on Rafah does not happen – and let us pray that it does not happen – Ramadan will be a time of great need for the people of Gaza. The death toll increases by hundreds every day, the health system collapses due to the endless bombing. The number of orphaned children has exceeded 17,000. Access to clean water is becoming a luxury, creating an environment conducive to waterborne diseases.
And in the midst of all this suffering, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the largest aid agency operating in Gaza, has been maligned and, as a result, defunded by its largest donors, despite the fact that there is not even the slightest evidence to support the accusations leveled against it.
It is imperative that people of all faiths and none contribute to aid organizations working in Gaza today, tomorrow and throughout Ramadan. Your generosity is needed to feed the fasting and the hungry. Your charity is necessary to give clean water to those who need it to live and to purify themselves before prayer. Your acts of generosity will bring hope to those who have had everything taken from them.
Despite the many challenges, there are organizations that are doing everything they can to help the people of Gaza. They are actively working to overcome restrictions placed on aid delivery, putting pressure on the international community to do everything necessary to bring life-saving assistance to people who need it.
Donating to aid organizations will not address the cause of Palestinian pain and misery, but it can help stem the tide. It is an act of solidarity.
This Ramadan, many are facing difficult economic circumstances and are concerned about the cost of living crisis. But this is an unprecedented moment; The people of Gaza need our help. In the midst of the greatest suffering inflicted on a population in most of our lives, we must all give as Muslims.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Al Jazeera.
