10 hours ago
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Palestinian brothers in Belfast plead ‘stop this war' as they raise funds to ‘keep family alive' in Gaza
Running the Turkish Kebab House in west Belfast are Hasheem Jouda (25) and Alaa Alraee (36), two brothers originally from the war-torn region.
Coming to Northern Ireland in 2020, the siblings started running the kebab shop as part of its new management when it came under new ownership in 2023.
As a student of the University of Palestine, Hasheem is a keen photographer, often taking portraits in his spare time.
His brother, who tackled the dangerous job of being a journalist back in Gaza, also helps run the recently renovated kebab shop.
Despite appearing as hard-working brothers, the pair live in constant fear for their family back in Palestine, who are constantly on the move to avoid Israeli strikes bombarding the region.
Before their daily shift, with the profits of their labours going to their family back home, the brothers spoke to the Belfast Telegraph at their shop in Andersonstown.
'We are fundraising and we are sending the money through the Western Union or MoneyGrams,' said Hasheem.
'We send it to my mum. We were thinking, 'We make the fundraiser, we make the money from our job, then we take them out' — when that was an option before.
'But now [since the war] there is no option for that. Now, we are sending money just to keep them alive.
'At the moment, they cannot go into Egypt. Hopefully something will change.
'Since the war, that chance is gone. You can't go out now. There is no option.'
Following the start of the war on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked the Nova music festival, killing 1,195 people and taking 250 Israeli civilians and soldiers as hostages, the Israeli blockage on the region intensified.
As of March 2 this year, there has been a complete block on all supplies entering Gaza, increasing the risk of famine.
With a strict border, Hasheem and Alaa's family are unable to escape into Egypt or neighbouring countries.
Previously residing in a camp in Rafah, they had to move to the central regions.
Due to the scarcity of food, it has become expensive. Alaa tells of how one tomato could cost $10 in Gaza.
'The people of Northern Ireland, and the people of Ireland, they have a humanity inside them,' said Alaa.
'They have an understanding of what is happening in Gaza — the genocide.
'We spoke to our family [on Monday]. We made sure everyone is OK and everything is fine. Sometimes the internet is really bad.
'There is no signal and there is no electricity as well. So we send a message and wait until they have good signal to send one back.
'Sometimes we don't know how we will talk with our family, because of the bombing — like you see in the news.'
With frequent pro-Palestine marches across the country and sentiments from some communities in Northern Ireland, Hasheem said it makes him feel 'proud' of where he is from.
'You feel like you are proud. Many people support us; they stand beside us. We feel happy when we see the flags, when we see people doing protests for us,' he said.
'It makes you feel at home, like you have people who care for and support you.
'The hospitals are being targeted too. It's very hard for my sister, who has problems with her kidney, to get the right medication.
'My mother has cancer. She is going through chemo in Egypt.
'Some people, if they have a medical emergency, the Red Cross takes them to Egypt.
'She goes at the minute to get the chemo there.
'It's been a good couple of months since she started it, and thankfully she is getting better.'
With the plight of his family heavy on their mind, journalist Alaa makes a plea to world leaders to have 'humanity': 'Please, try to do something together to stop this war.
'The people there are not numbers. Everyone has a family, has a dream. They have fathers and mothers.
'There are 50,000 dead — 50,000 stories have ended.
'Please stop the war. The important thing is that not all Palestinians are terrorists. They are a very kind people, the people there need hope. Anyone who has a little humanity — stop the war.'
