What steps can we take to help the Palestinians?

There's a lot of people on these boards wishing for marches to proceed in a way they could organise if they want to see it exist so much. If you believe the greatest threat to the Palestinian people is coming from Hamas right now, why don't you organise a protest against Hamas in support of the Free Palestine movement? Because you care about the Palestinian people and that's why you decided to come onto a thread about helping them to post about people organising marches I'm sure. Not just to distract from the topic, right? It sounds like there's enough posters on this board for you all to organise together and do that if you wanted to instead of just criticism the activism of other people.

I have felt very deep despair over the situation in Palestine. The death of so many children is hard to bear.

Apart from donating money to charities who operate in Gaza, which I do, I honestly don’t think there’s much else of use we can do from the West. Even with protests, it creates a storm of negative press.

I’m volunteering to help refugees locally, living in the UK. Just because that’s something I can tangibly do to make a difference to someone. Like, if you can’t directly help as much as you’d like across the world, try and offer a bit of practical help in your own city, to others in need or from a similar background of plight. I don’t know.

If I could fly to Gaza and look after those orphaned children myself then I would, but obviously that’s not possible or needed.

I have the biggest respect for MSF/Doctors Without Borders, the selfless individuals who do go into war zones and give their medical help, sometimes sadly at the cost of their own life. MSF are a good charity to donate too.

OP have you had a look at the work of the watermelon project on instagram. They seem to make and provide “fun” food for children in the camps in Egypt.

100%

Another thread derailed by “this would all stop if they gave back the hostages”. For goodness sake Netanyahu is on a blood thirsty power trip he isn’t about stop even if he found everyone alive.

So you want this thread to be an echo chamber and those people who have alternative opinions are deemed to be making "silly comments"?

All the marches I have seen are calling for a ceasefire which only works if both parties agree....

It is obvious to me and others posting here that the op was looking for more practical ways to help starving, displaced, traumatised people such as donating to charities working in the area, but you know that you're just trying to be goady. Hope it makes you feel big and clever.

Are any of your Muslim friends that are organising and going to demonstrations, demonstrating against Hamas or just against Israel?

Well students camping in tents they demand are bought for them on their causes and stopping Jewish students from attending lectures in America won't help.

Many of my Muslim friends (they are of different heritage backgrounds but English by birth) are doing lots of different things:

A doctor friend is lecturing med students over there online
Organising local demonstrations
Going to London to demonstrate
Sharing on social media

etc

Im finding my English friends of English heritage are not doing anything. Sorry but it’s true.

@LargeAmericano is this another "all people who want Israel to stop killing civilians are actually Hamas supporters" thing? If so, it's been done a lot and it's hardly going to help answer the OP's question to have another cycle of false allegations about people.

I would have no objections to you or that poster having a hamas march if you want. I don't think many people would. My problem is that all of the posters who want one to happen don't actually want to do it themselves, they want others to do it for them.

Wow, seems there’s not much support on this board for marches calling for Hamas to give themselves up @keenforhelp.

What a surprise (not).

What does reach their targets mean? Do people have to pay to get out of Gaza or is it for funds once they manage to leave?
People have to pay to leave Gaza from £5-10k per person. Then additional funding for renting a place in Egypt.

Why isn't this being funded, it beggars belief that they would have to fund their own medical treatment given the situation they are in.

Unfortunately yes in some cases is for the medical treatment isn’t be offered free. Also additional fundraising is to help pay for the relative that is accompanying the child.

No to your first two questions as it is election year in the USA and Biden wants to get re-elected. And this is temporary anyway as the USA needs Israel as much as it needs them.

Israel has "tempered" itself and shown admirable restraint following Iran's drone and missile attacks. If Israel were doing all the things you have said intentionally, then the whole of Gaza would have been wiped out already. Hamas uses their people as human shields.

It remains my belief that my recommendations are the ones that would really truly help Palestinians.

Thank you.

Do you think if people hadn't have spoken out as strongly as they have multiple countries would have cut off arms supplies to Israel? Do you think Biden would have limited supplies to Israel and that he would be insistent on aid reaching Gaza? Israel started off about as hardline as you can get by announcing that they were going to starve everybody. If we all just ignored it and let Israel have their way do you really think given what they have done knowing that the world is watching them ie starving people, removing most healthcare, killing 1% of the population, destroying half of the populations homes, that if suddenly we all start saying yeah, blame Hamas for everything, Israel have no responsibility that would make Israel go oh shit starving children is actually wrong, we should really let people eat?

I think what has happened has shown that the only way to get Israel to temper themselves is for the US to threaten to/to actually remove money and weapons. Israel have shown us all what they will do if we turn a blind eye, that is why they have been killing journalists and have been refusing access to Gaza, they are trying to limit what we see because they want to be able to do whatever they like to Palestinians in peace.

How far have protests and marches and social media propaganda against Israel helped the Palestinians? Come on be honest. Probably only strengthened Israel's resolve. Best to at least try at the protests to call for Hamas to go - this has not been done yet, so we won't know till we try.

Donations and fundraising to the Palestinians are a fine idea but truly hope this makes it through to the people, not the Hamas administration who will use it to buy weapons to attack Israel.

Donate and fundraiser.
There's many many charities that are helping so I would say do your research and go with one that you feel confident in

Agree
The but Hamas doesn't wash anymore. They are currently not the biggest threat to the lives of Gazans.

Hamas goes (the ideology will disappear too and no further Iranian proxies will rise up as Israel will give them the same treatment) and job done.
@keenforhelp The ideology will only disappear when Palestinians are no longer oppressed and have control and agency over their own lives and their own land.

It's sad that, in a thread discussing ways ordinary people can show support to victims of a humanitarian crisis and people whose loved ones are victims of that crisis, some people would still rather talk about violence.

There are many ways people can contribute, to make sure people know they are not forgotten and that what is happening will not be forgotten.

It seems that the OP feels that calling upon countries to condemn Israel and protests for ceasefires is really not going to help as the issue that caused the problem ie Hamas needs to be eradicated. That 50 odd million spent policing protests against Israel in the UK does not seem money well spent as it has not got rid of Hamas.

Hamas goes (the ideology will disappear too and no further Iranian proxies will rise up as Israel will give them the same treatment) and job done. Egypt and other neighbours will be delighted too.

Israel don't give a fuck about the hostages and have made clear over and over again that they'll continue the war whether the hostages are released or not.

Stop buying goods produced by Israel?

Most of the aid goes straight to Hamas . Where do you think they got the money for the materials to build the tunnels and buy the rockets. The only way to improve the conditions of the Palestinians is to remove Hamas for ever. And don’t be fooled - if they destroy Israel, next it will be homosexuals, Christians, etc.

They can pay to be smuggled into Egypt, it’s about 4-5k I read somewhere. It’s miserable for them I can’t imagine the terror and hopelessness .

But yeah while Hamas are still there this isn’t going to end.