WHEN we at The National first talked about fundraising for Medical Aid for Palestinians, we thought it might be possible to raise £15,000.
The fundraiser would run for a whole week after all – so hopefully, even amid the cost-of-living crisis impacting on all of us, we could raise that.
I am happy to say that we severely underestimated the generosity of our readers, in Scotland and beyond.
At the time of writing, we have extended the target more than once (an initial doubling to £30,000, followed by a stretch target of £50,000) – and it honestly looks like we may have to do so again.
READ MORE: Inside the crucial life-saving work in Gaza your donations go towards
We are currently hoping to hit a target of £75,000, something which last week would have seemed to us vanishingly unlikely. But thanks to the support of everyone who has donated so far, £75,000 is looking well within reach.
As I write, we have passed more than 90% of that target, which was already a stretch from a stretch.
The unexpectedly fast growth of our fundraiser has shown the depth of feeling about the crises the people of Palestine are suffering through – and aid in the country is more needed now than ever.
A quarter of the population in Gaza is starving. Charity groups say it is nearly impossible to deliver aid in much of the territory because of Israeli restrictions and ongoing hostilities. Even UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron has now admitted that Israel is behind some of the blockages of aid into Gaza.
Conditions are especially dire in the north of the region, which has suffered widespread devastation and been largely cut off by Israeli forces since the Hamas attacks of October 7.
Up to 300,000 Palestinians are believed to have remained there despite evacuation orders, with many reduced to eating animal feed in recent weeks.
“Our children can’t find anything to eat,” said Bassam al-Haw, a volunteer in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. “No food, no water, no flour.”
These devastating words, like so many others from Palestinians, underscore how vital the work of Medical Aid for Palestinians is.
Maybe, before the National’s fundraiser for the charity closes, we will have extended the target again.
We can only hope – and trust in the already demonstrated generosity of our readers.
Please, if you can, donate here.
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