The escalation of the conflict in Palestine has now claimed the life of the regional head of the humanitarian organisation, Gift of the Givers on Thursday.
Ahmed Abbasi was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza as he was returning from morning prayer with his brother. His brother was also killed.
Founder of the organisation, Dr Imitiaz Sooliman described Abbasi as a kind, gentle, and warm human being who was directly targeted.
Abbasi, a father of three was appointed as head of the Gift of the Givers office in the region in 2013.
“He served the people of Gaza with distinction,” Sooliman said.
“He was responsible for implementing multiple projects including the care of orphans, widows, the elderly, and the ill. He delivered water through our desalination plants, distributed food parcels, provided hot meals, and upgraded damaged homes.”
Abbasi was adamant about staying despite the conflict in Palestine as he refused to run from Israeli forces.
“A few days ago he mentioned that it's better to sit with his family of thirty-four in their own apartment and wait for their turn to die in dignity, as unarmed martyrs, rather than run from place to place as directed by the IDF. He was a witness to the lies and deception of the IDF asking communities to move to safety and then bombing them on the way killing hundreds,” Dr Sooliman reminisced.
Abbasi tried assisting where he could on behalf of the organisation during these dangerous times.
“We are grateful that he served us for forty consecutive days during this war where the cold-blooded murder, ethnic cleansing, and genocide of a defenseless civilian population, caught up in a ghetto, took place at the hands of the anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian, anti-Christian, and anti-Muslim, inhumane Zionist Israeli murderers,” Sooliman said.
He said Gift of the Givers also welcomes and supports the call by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Qatar that South Africa has referred Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to be investigated for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“Gift of the Givers fully supports the call by our President Cyril Ramaphosa, to haul the terrorist from Tel Aviv, Benjamin Netanyahu, in front of the ICC for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and ethnic cleansing,” Sooliman said.
“We also fully support the motion in parliament today for the expulsion of the Israeli Ambassador with immediate effect and the severing of diplomatic ties with the Apartheid State of Israel. We want to add that Israel should be held accountable to pay war reparation in the rebuilding of Gaza and compensate every single family they have decimated.”
robin.francke@inl.co.za
IOL