3 days ago
Eid across borders: Pakistani charities mobilize to send sacrificial Eid meat to Gaza
ISLAMABAD: As Eid Al-Adha approaches, major Pakistani charities are intensifying efforts to provide sacrificial meat to Palestinians in Gaza, where hunger has reached catastrophic levels due to ongoing Israeli military operations and stringent aid restrictions.
According to the World Health Organization, 93 percent of Gaza's population is currently experiencing crisis-level hunger. The United Nations has warned that most of Gaza's two million residents are at risk of famine, exacerbated by an 11-week blockade severely limiting humanitarian aid into the besieged territory.
In response, Pakistani organizations including Alkhidmat Foundation, Islamic Relief, and the Minhaj Welfare Foundation have launched urgent donation campaigns under the banner of 'Qurbani for Palestine.'
These drives call on the Pakistani public and the diaspora to fund Eid animal sacrifices, aiming to process and deliver meat to Palestinians facing acute food insecurity.
'We will do all the slaughtering in Egypt, and then we will freeze the meat there,' Asif Sherazi, Country Director of Islamic Relief Pakistan, told Arab News. 'Once we get a chance, we will deliver this meat into Gaza.'
Sherazi said the organization planned to sacrifice 2,100 animals this Eid, targeting aid for 220,000 Palestinians. Islamic Relief, active in Palestine for 28 years, intends to utilize its local staff and volunteers for distribution once access became possible.
'We are planning to target Khan Younis, Rafah, Jabalia, Al-Nuseirat and other affected areas,' he said, naming cities in the enclave, adding that the frozen meat would be sent to Palestinian refugee camps in Egypt if entry into Gaza was not possible within six months.
The urgency of such initiatives has intensified due to recent developments.
On June 4, the United States vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, along with unrestricted humanitarian aid access. The resolution was supported by the other 14 council members. The US justified its decision by stating it could not back any measure that did not explicitly condemn Hamas.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US- and Israeli-backed organization, resumed aid distribution at two sites in Rafah on June 5, after suspending operations due to deadly shootings near its facilities. On June 3, at least 27 Palestinians were killed and over 90 injured while attempting to access aid at a GHF distribution site.
The United Nations and various humanitarian organizations have criticized the militarized nature of aid distribution in Gaza, emphasizing that attacks on civilians seeking food are 'unconscionable' and may constitute war crimes.
In light of these challenges, Pakistani aid agencies are redoubling their efforts.
Dr. Hafeez ur Rahman, president of Alkhidmat Foundation (AKF), said his organization was running its Qurbani for Palestine campaign for the second consecutive year.
Last year, the initiative successfully delivered over 300,000 tins of meat to Gaza and Palestinian refugee camps in neighboring countries.
'This year, sacrifice will take place in Pakistan, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and wherever feasible inside Palestine,' Rahman said. 'For Egypt, we have selected a cattle farm in Safaga city, and we have selected more than 1,000 healthy cows. They will be slaughtered over the three days of Eid.'
The meat will be processed, frozen, and transported to Cairo. From there, tins will be sent into Gaza whenever the Rafah border reopened.
Meanwhile, AKF also plans to distribute fresh meat to over 100,000 Palestinian refugees living in Cairo.
'The people from Pakistan and around the globe, they are contacting AKF and sending their money for the sacrifices,' Rahman added. 'We are quite sure that the number of sacrificial animals will exceed last year.'
The Minhaj Welfare Foundation is also participating in the campaign, with donations collected through both its Pakistan and UK chapters.
'Our donation sacrifice is Rs22,500 per share,' said Junaid Ahmed, a foundation representative. 'So far, we have got 17 animals, which implies a total of 119 shares, and many people will join in the next few days.'
Ahmad said his foundation would prefer to send the meat directly to Gaza but would distribute it among Palestinians in refugee camps if that was not possible.
'The slaughtering will be done in Lebanon,' he added, 'and then this meat will be packed in 5kg to 8kg boxes which will be distributed to refugees in Lebanon and Syria.'
