Community members rallied together in Los Gatos Thursday as they raised funds for the people in Gaza. Jocelyn Moran reports.
Community members rallied together in Los Gatos Thursday as they raised funds for the people in Gaza.
Despite the rain in Los Gatos, many people stood in line with their umbrellas, buying tacos, pastries and coffee to support Palestinian-owned businesses. Some even came from the East Bay.
“I think it’s important to show up in spaces like this. Especially, if we may not be Palestinian, but just make sure people know that we are all supporting and here for the cause,” said Dublin resident Joanna Giron.
Businesses here included El Halal Amigos based in San Jose’s Willow Glen neighborhood and Kenz Coffee.
“The magnitude of this event and the timing of it is huge. There are over 32,000 victims in Gaza right now,” said Hisham Abdelfattah with El Halal Amigos.
More than 32,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to officials.
Earlier this week, an Israeli air strike killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers there.
Earlier Thursday, Israel said it’s committed to opening additional aid routes to allow for increased assistance to flow into Gaza.
It comes after a call with President Joe Biden, who warned of a potential shift in U.S. policy. U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the president wants to see concrete actions.
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Meanwhile in Los Gatos, the money the businesses received will go to Islamic Relief USA, who told NBC Bay Area on Thursday that they work with partners on the ground in Gaza.
“We are actively working to get the aid in and helping to get as many families food and water and medicine as much as we can,” said Haneen Hammad, National Events Planner with Islamic Relief USA.
Bay Area doctor Mohammad Subeh also attended Thursday’s event. He recently came back after a medical mission in Gaza. He spoke about his experience with those here and told NBC Bay Area Thursday what he would tell politicians right now.
“Ceasefire. We need a ceasefire right now. We need to open up all avenues for aid to get into the population,” Subeh said.
