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Fox News
7 days ago
- General
- Fox News
She fed 100K Gazan families for free – now terrorists and local merchants want her dead
FIRST ON FOX - In a war-torn part of the Middle East, where corruption and violence often determine who gets to eat and who goes hungry, one woman chose to challenge the system. When much of the world had written off northern Gaza as unreachable, 30-year-old east-Jerusalem resident Sarah Awaidah and her team carved out a lifeline. Under the umbrella of Mena Aid, a regional partner coalition operating through the Multifaith Alliance (MFA), and in coordination with Israeli authorities, she built a system that moved hundreds of trucks of food and supplies into Gaza – bypassing Hamas and private contractors who had turned hunger into a business. The result: more than 100,000 families fed. The cost: her own safety. "I never imagined that creating a safe, independent humanitarian route would become the reason my life might end," Sarah Awaidah told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that took place in a safe house in Israel. "After delivering 346 trucks of aid between September 2024 and February 2025, we reached 100,622 families," Awaidah said. "We decided to scale up distribution on June 30, 2025, at a time when no one was able to get anything into Gaza because of looting, chaos and multiple layers of obstruction on the ground." Operating through Mena Aid, Awaidah's team designed an alternative route to deliver food and essential supplies. In Israel, a trusted logistics company transported the goods from the port of Ashdod to the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings. Inside Gaza, another logistics partner handled transport, while Awaidah's own staff – coordinating in real time with Israel – shadowed every shipment. "Once the aid crosses into Gaza, it's picked up by another trusted logistics partner and escorted by our own team members. "Our teams are present during offloading and accompany the aid from the crossing to secure warehouses. Inside the warehouses, we begin distribution immediately – aiming to deliver everything the same day, and at most within two to three days. Nothing is allowed to sit idle." That level of control allowed them to achieve what few others could: reaching northern Gaza, where people had not seen a staple supply of food for months. Her breakthrough exposed a darker reality – an economy where hunger itself has become a business. "There's a lot of private sector businessmen – some associated with Hamas and other political groups – who try to use aid to make millions," she said. "Because there's such a shortage of goods, and prices are so high, some steal aid and sell it in the market. Others try to take over the supply routes so they can resell it." According to Awaidah, her team's success threatened those who profit from scarcity. By flooding the market with free goods, they not only fed families but also drove down the inflated prices charged for basics like sugar and flour. "If there's no sugar in Gaza, and we bring it in for free, they can't keep selling it at outrageous prices," she said. "So we became their problem." Israeli authorities also tried to cut off these private-sector schemes by shutting down routes that allowed commercial profiteering. While this helped curb some corruption, it also made the remaining humanitarian channels more dangerous. "The private sector was blocked, and so those who lost their profits started trying harder to threaten and infiltrate the humanitarian route," she said. "They couldn't control it, so they tried to break it – and me." The attacks on her came quickly. "I began receiving death threats – not just from Gaza, but from the West Bank… heartbreakingly, some came from people I once trusted." One of the most painful betrayals came from someone close to her, she said, "I even discovered that I was in a relationship full of lies," she said. "That person was part of a gang that wanted to exploit the aid operation – and he tried to use me too. But I stood firm. I made sure he, and people like him, never got near it. And now, my life is at risk because I refused to let the private sector hijack aid for commercial gain, or let political actors bend it to serve their goals." For Awaidah, the families she helps are the reason she refuses to quit. "We created a distribution model based on verified beneficiary lists, using ID checks to ensure fair and dignified access to food," she said. "People stood in line calmly, organized, even in impossible conditions. That's something the media rarely shows – the dignity and patience of the people." In the past month alone, her group has delivered 75 trucks and has another 112 on the way from Ashdod. Each day, she focuses on the mission, even as the threats grow. "What broke me most wasn't the threats from strangers – it was realizing that people close to me were part of it," she said. "It's easier to fight enemies from the outside. But when it comes from your own circle, it cuts deeper. Still, that only confirms we're doing something right. If they're losing their minds over this, it means the mechanism we built works. It means it's secure. It means they couldn't find a way to manipulate it, so they tried to break me instead." She knows the risks. But for her, the alternative is worse. "I will not stop. And they will not stop me," she said, "I will continue delivering aid to the people who need it, no matter the threats. That's my promise." For Awaidah, standing up to corruption has come at a steep personal cost. But for the families in Gaza who have stood in her food lines, she has already changed what once felt impossible: getting a fair share of help, without a price tag.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Syrian activist to TML: Visit to Israel, Knesset was 'unprecedented moment for peace'
Syrian political figure Shadi Martini described his Knesset address as a 'once-in-a-century opportunity' and confirmed holding recent talks with Syria's new president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa. Syrian political activist Shadi Martini confirmed in an interview with The Media Line that he had met with Syria's new president, Ahmed al‑Sharaa, just weeks before addressing the Israeli Knesset. 'It was a very enlightening meeting,' he said. 'We heard a lot of positive messaging from President Al‑Sharaa.' Martini described the visit to Israel as an 'unprecedented moment for peace' and a 'once-in-a-century opportunity' to change the trajectory ofIsraeli–Arab relations. A former hospital director in Aleppo and current CEO of the Multifaith Alliance, Martini was one of two Arab civil society figures who spoke to Israeli lawmakers during the inaugural session of the Knesset Caucus for the Advancement of a Regional Security Agreement. Alongside Saudi journalist Abdulaziz al‑Khamis, Martini advocated for a new regional framework based on moderation and mutual understanding. According to Martini, Syria's post‑Assad leadership is ready to move in a new direction. 'The Syrian leadership is very focused on rebuilding the country and establishing long‑term peace in the region,' he told The Media Line. 'They want to resolve everything through dialogue and diplomacy.' He said Syria's devastation over the past decade with millions displaced has shaped the new leadership's vision. 'They are looking into having a more stable region, which is going to benefit Syria and the Syrian people.' Martini also acknowledged the role regional military events played in regime change. 'The killing of Hassan Nasrallah and last year's Israeli strikes gave the opposition a major boost,' he told The Media Line. 'As Syrians, we deeply appreciated that.' He emphasized that these events helped opposition forces topple the Assad regime in December. The meeting with President Al‑Sharaa included two American religious leaders—one Jewish, one Christian—as well as Martini himself. 'I'm Muslim. One was a rabbi, one was a reverend. We were trying to have a discussion with the president and see his views.' He stressed that Syria's new leadership sees its future aligned with the United States, Europe, and moderate Arab states. 'The current Syrian government is totally detached from the Iranian axis,' Martini said. 'That's one of the reasons they were looking toward the United States, Western Europe, and the moderate Arab countries as their new allies and partners.' Martini described his appearance at the Knesset as both emotional and revealing. 'It was overwhelming,' he said. 'I met so many people, so many members of Knesset from all walks of Israeli political life. That was an interesting eye‑opener.' He said the invitation offered a rare chance to speak directly to Israelis: 'We wanted the Israeli public to hear the voices from the region—from Syria, from Saudi Arabia—to understand where we're coming from, what we want to see in the future, and how we can achieve a better future for both our people.' Still, he acknowledged the risks: 'Doing something for the first time is always overwhelming and has its challenges. But I think we need to be more brave about speaking the truth if we want to move forward.' Martini also warned that continued Israeli military activity inside Syria could undermine diplomacy. 'The nonstop incursions of the Israeli military occupying certain towns and villages in southern Syria, where some Syrians have been killed and wounded—this is really hampering broader peace initiatives.' The event was organized by the Coalition for Regional Security, a think tank established in 2023 to advance Israeli–Arab cooperation. Its founding partner, Lianne Pollak‑David, told The Media Line that the moment was carefully designed to be both symbolic and substantive. 'We must revive the discourse on a regional arrangement,' she said, 'but it's not enough to just have billboards and TV studio discussions. The regional agreement must be the compass for the entire pragmatic camp in Israel.' She added that the presence of both Syrian and Saudi representatives sent a powerful signal. 'These are not just any voices,' she said. 'These are courageous voices from two countries that are often perceived as unreachable. Their presence showed that a regional alliance of moderates is not a dream; it's already taking shape.' Only opposition members attended the caucus event, including Yair Lapid, Benny Gantz, and Gilad Kariv. When asked about the coalition's absence, Pollak‑David noted: 'The coalition was invited. They decided not to show. I believe that for some Knesset members, it simply doesn't align with their agenda.' Gilad Kariv, caucus chairman, declared: 'What must begin with a comprehensive deal to end the war and bring all our hostages home, can and must continue with courageous agreements that will change the face of the region, establish an alliance of moderates against the axis of Iran and its proxies, and bring hope to both peoples in this land.' Ram Ben Barak, a former Mossad deputy director and co‑chair of the caucus, added: 'If we do not turn the military achievements into a diplomatic achievement that will end the war and create a new Middle Eastern political horizon, we will miss a historic opportunity that may not return.' Opposition leader Yair Lapid emphasized: 'Any regional agreement must begin with Egypt taking a 15‑year mandate over Gaza. It's the least bad option—they ruled there in the past.' Benny Gantz, head of the National Unity party, stated: 'October 7th happened, among other reasons, to stop the process of normalization. The just war we are in must end with the return of the hostages and a normalization agreement.' Al‑Khamis, known for his support of regional engagement, also addressed the caucus. 'It is unacceptable for people to be imprisoned in Gaza,' he said. 'If Israel uses this moment to deepen the occupation and humiliate Gaza, it will lose not only Saudi Arabia, but the entire Arab world.' Other participants included Nimrod Dweck, CEO of the Darkenu movement, and Hiba Qasas, executive director of the Uniting for a Shared Future coalition. Dweck described the caucus as 'a powerful answer to the government's dangerous policies in the West Bank.' At the same time, Qasas referenced a recent letter from President Mahmoud Abbas outlining five concrete commitments for reform and disarmament in Gaza. Asked by The Media Line whether he believes it is safe to return to Syria after such a high‑profile visit, Martini replied: 'Oh, well, I hope so. This is not my first time visiting Israel. I've been public about it before, and until now, it wasn't an issue when I was going back to Syria.' A source in the Syrian Foreign Ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Media Line that a review of foreign relations is currently underway. 'Opening up to Israel is not off the table,' the source said, 'but it requires internal consensus and sensitivity to public sentiment.' The coming weeks will determine whether this rare window of opportunity will be seized or lost once again.
Yomiuri Shimbun
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
They Gathered to Turn ‘Pain into Purpose.' Then Gunfire Shattered Their Peace.
Tom Brenner/For The Washington Post A bystander prays while wearing an Israel flag with a cross in the middle, near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington on May 21. They had gathered in a D.C. museum lobby to hear stories of hope and action. A young aid worker with the Multifaith Alliance, perched beside a vase of white flowers, spoke about efforts to save lives in war-ravaged Gaza. Her group, founded by the daughter of Holocaust survivors, is run by a Syrian refugee, and their success has hinged on building trust in terrible situations. 'As you leave here this evening, please continue to think about tonight's conversation,' said one of the hosts, Sue Stolov, as the program in the Capital Jewish Museum wound down. 'Share what you learned here with friends and colleagues so the impact will ripple like water outward to others.' Then, as some in the crowd began to depart the Wednesday night reception, a man in a hooded coat, who had been lingering outside, trying to light a cigarette in the rain, followed them and pointed a 9mm semiautomatic. He squeezed the trigger – again and again. Then, in the chaos, he went into the museum. 'I did it for Gaza!' witnesses would recall him saying later. 'Free, free Palestine!' The suspected gunman, authorities said, was 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez, a medical clerical worker from Chicago who had traveled to Washington for job-related meetings and is now charged with two counts of first-degree murder and murdering foreign officials. Investigators said they are exploring a possible link between him and social media posts accusing Israel of genocide. The couple killed, Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, both employees of the Israeli Embassy who had attended the Young Diplomats Reception at the museum, were planning to move in together in July, friends said. They said Lischinsky, who had purchased an engagement ring, intended to propose to Milgrim on a forthcoming trip to Jerusalem. As the lights of emergency vehicles strobed red and blue through the windows of the building, many who remained in the museum were unaware of the horror outside. There was still the glow of possibility after an inspiring night. Even when Rodriguez, in a blue blazer, with his trimmed beard and sneakers, rushed breathlessly into the lobby after the killings and settled on a bench, his presence wasn't immediately alarming. He looked like a 'normal person that you walk by on the street,' one woman would say later, though he also began muttering for someone to call the police. This account of Wednesday's tragedy – how an evening suffused with aspirations for peace suddenly dissolved, in the span of a muzzle flash, into unspeakable violence that echoed around the globe – is based on numerous interviews, statements by police and government officials, and publicly available court records. It left JoJo Drake Kalin, one of the organizers of the reception, freighted with grief as she told a reporter the following day: 'It's not lost on me the deep irony that such hatred and depravity happened on a night when we were standing in the utter opposite of that. Gathering in the spirit of peace The day before the shooting, Rodriguez, who was once affiliated with the far-left Party for Socialism and Liberation, had left his apartment on a leafy block of century-old courtyard buildings and classic Chicago two-flats in the East Albany Park neighborhood of the Northwest Side. Authorities said he was headed to Washington for meetings related to his job, verifying physicians' information for the American Osteopathic Information Association, which had two professional events scheduled for Wednesday in the nation's capital. He checked in for his United Airlines flight at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, and authorities said his gun was in his luggage in the cargo hold. The same day, with Rodriguez arriving at Reagan National Airport, Milgrim and Lischinsky submitted their application for an apartment near the Israeli Embassy in Northwest Washington, where they first met. Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen, was a research assistant in the political department and Milgrim, who grew up near Kansas City, Kansas, organized missions and visits to Israel. He was an aspiring diplomat, multilingual and quietly intellectual, an amateur photographer and soccer player; she was an environmentalist, a dog lover, a violinist, a former child vocalist in the chorus of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. With Milgrim's old goldendoodle, Andy, the couple was on the cusp of a life together. An act of grievous self-harm outside the embassy last year had captivated Rodriguez's imagination, authorities said. Aaron Bushnell, who was on active duty with the U.S. Air Force, doused his clothing with a flammable liquid and fatally set himself ablaze, shouting, 'Free Palestine!' Bushnell had declared in a video that he did not want to be 'complicit in genocide' – and Rodriguez, after his arrest, would tell police that the self-immolation had been courageous, that Bushnell was a martyr, according to court documents in Rodriguez's case. On Wednesday, about three hours before the Young Diplomats Reception was set to begin, authorities said, Rodriguez got a ticket to the event. It remains unclear how he learned of it. The gathering, hosted by the young professionals division of the American Jewish Committee, was the sort of get-together that Lischinsky and Milgrim, described by friends as warm and outgoing, routinely attended. The committee is a nonprofit organization that works to counter antisemitism and promote peace and security for Israel. The theme of the reception was 'turning pain into purpose,' and a panel discussion would include IsraAID, a nongovernmental humanitarian group headquartered in Tel Aviv, as well as the Multifaith Alliance. As a security measure, organizers didn't advertise the location. 'Shared upon registration' was all they said. At the request of organizers, four guards were armed at the museum, rather than one as usual. About an hour and a half before the reception, Milgrim was walking along a street, chatting by phone with Joshua Maxey, executive director of Bet Mishpachah, an LGBTQ+ synagogue in Washington. The two were finalizing plans for an evening of prayer and dinner scheduled for next month to celebrate LGBTQ+ Jews during the city's WorldPride celebration, Maxey said. Milgrim told Maxey that she didn't want to leave any work for him or her colleagues before she departed with Lischinsky for Jerusalem – for the trip on which Lischinsky meant to propose marriage. It was just past 5 p.m. when Maxey and Milgrim said goodbye. He remembered telling her, 'I hope I get to see your smiling face on Friday,' before her flight to Jerusalem 'I did it for Gaza' The Capital Jewish Museum is a glass-and-brick symbol of resilience. A historic synagogue that is integrated into the modern museum complex was lifted up and moved from the city's Chinatown neighborhood in the 1960s, then relocated twice more in the decades afterward. The U.S. Capitol is within sight of the museum's terrace. Diplomats from 30 countries had signed up to attend the reception, and when Wednesday evening arrived, congressional staffers and emissaries from Japan, Australia, Bahrain and other nations milled about the atrium lobby, ordering from an open bar and savoring smoked eggplant, Israeli pearled couscous and za'atar salmon. Ran Goldstein, representing IsraAID, said his group serves as an intermediary in Gaza, trying 'to understand both sides while working according to humanitarian principles.' Milgrim and Lischinsky approached him afterward, chatting about colleagues they had in common. As the reception neared its end, one of the organizers gave Milgrim a hug, and they promised they'd get coffee soon. Then JoJo Kalin rode in an elevator to an upper floor, accompanying a friend to a museum exhibit on Washington's vibrant gay Jewish scene, which includes a 'Mr. Nice Jewish Boy D.C. 2019' sash from a local pageant and Jewish drag queen Ester Goldberg's sparkling purple dress. Outside, Milgrim and Lischinsky stood on a corner, waiting to cross a street, an FBI agent wrote in an affidavit filed in court. In the damp night, Rodriguez walked past them, then turned and looked at them from behind, according to the agent, Christina Hagenbaugh. He can be seen on surveillance video taking a shooter's stance, arms extended toward the young couple, before he opened fire, Hagenbaugh wrote. After the two collapsed to the pavement, Rodriguez moved closer, the affidavit says. It says he leaned over them and pulled the trigger again. As Milgrim tried to crawl away, Rodriguez followed her and continued shooting, stopping only to reload, according to the agent. When Milgrim sat up, the affidavit says, he fired yet again, repeatedly. Evidence technicians would count 21 spent shells on the ground. Video shows Rodriguez then jogging toward the museum entrance, and a witness saw him toss away the pistol, according to court documents. Guests inside heard the crack of the shots, and there was some concern but no hysteria, attendees said. Some dismissed the sound, ascribing it to an obscure disturbance in the city, unconnected to them, while others moved elsewhere in the building for safety. Entering the museum, Rodriguez plopped down on a bench, said Paige Siegel, an attendee. He had been let in with others who had stepped outside, the lawyer said. She said Rodriguez kept talking about calling the police. Kalin was headed down from the museum exhibit, and, when the elevator doors opened, friends told her there had been gunshots. And she saw Rodriguez on the bench, disheveled and pale. Kalin assumed that he had been caught in the commotion outside, and she felt obligated as an organizer to care for a man who seemed unwell. 'I'm so sorry this happened,' she told him. 'Are you okay?' She approached a bartender, who was starting to pack up, and returned with a cup of ice water. As she passed it to Rodriguez, she said, their hands brushed, and she could feel his sweat. Meanwhile, as organizers guided guests to a far side of the lobby, away from the windows and glass doors, Kalin's husband, Yoni River Kalin, pushed his way back toward the entrance, where he saw Rodriguez, now standing up in his blue blazer, his white shirt untucked. 'He said, 'I'm unarmed,'' Yoni Kalin recalled. 'And then he said, 'I did it.' And then he said, 'I did it for Gaza.'' And he began chanting what sounded to Kalin like a mantra. 'Free, free Palestine!' Kalin recalled him saying. 'Intifada, revolution, there is only one solution.' Rodriguez dropped his red and white cloth kaffiyeh, the headscarf seen as a symbol of Palestinian resistance. Kalin bent to pick it up and tried handing it back as an officer grabbed Rodriguez. 'This event was focused on humanity,' Yoni Kalin said. 'I wanted to show him respect as a human.' 'Free, free Palestine!' Rodriguez shouted as he was led away. 'From Hamas!' Yoni Kalin retorted. In the moment, the Kalins and others thought Rodriguez was merely another disruptive protester. They still didn't know that anyone had been killed. While Rodriguez was in custody, authorities said, a post appeared on the social media platform X bearing the name 'Elias Rodriguez,' accusing Israel of 'genocide' and declaring that 'a perpetrator' might be a good person sometimes 'and yet be a monster all the same.' It was titled, 'Escalate for Gaza, Bring the War Home.' At the museum, some guests were taken upstairs to be interviewed; others lined up to talk with police outside the gift shop. Getting texts while they waited, the depth of the tragedy started to become clear. As detectives questioned them, a woman in yellow heels pressed her face into her hands. Soon, countless people the world over would feel her grief. 'I don't want their deaths to be in vain, and I don't want this to just further alienate us,' JoJo Kalin said the next day. 'If people who experienced and witnessed this hate crime can walk away with their humanity still intact and still feel undeterred,' she said, 'I hope that inspires others to not lose sight of their humanity.'
Washington Post
25-05-2025
- General
- Washington Post
They gathered to turn ‘pain into purpose.' Then gunfire shattered their peace.
They had gathered in a D.C. museum lobby to hear stories of hope and action. A young aid worker with the Multifaith Alliance, perched beside a vase of white flowers, spoke about efforts to save lives in war-ravaged Gaza. Her group, founded by the daughter of Holocaust survivors, is run by a Syrian refugee, and their success has hinged on building trust in terrible situations.
