Muslim Aid dedicates World Humanitarian Day to our colleague killed in Gaza

This year, Muslim Aid is observing World Humanitarian Day 2024 with a heavy heart as we remember our Palestinian colleague, Eman Abu Saied, who was killed delivering vital human aid at the start of the horrific war on Gaza.

Eman Abu Saeid, killed in November 2023, worked for our partner Tamer and was active in helping children, teenagers and families across the Gaza Strip. Before her tragic death, she was working on a project for children titled “The Magic of Seashells”, in which she was meant to take children to Gaza’s breathtaking beaches to collect seashells and talk about the history of their beloved homeland.

One of her favourite parts of her job was to see the glow on the faces of those she helped. It still breaks our hearts to know that Eman will never get to see the smiles of the children when they find their special seashell, or watch their eyes widen with amazement and hearts grow with Palestinian pride as she teaches them about Gaza’s rich history. We pray that she is resting in the highest ranks of paradise.

Her death shocked us all, but our staff in Gaza, in typical Palestinian fashion, continue to go above and beyond in their sumood as they Serve Humanity.

Sumood is the Arabic word for ‘steadfastness’ which is traditionally used to describe Palestinian resilience.

Sumood describes the way Palestinians show conviction in their unshakable culture and national identity, passing their language, dialects and traditions down from generation to generation; whether they are facing oppression in their homeland, in refugee camps, settled in neighbouring countries, or are oceans away from Palestine.

However, this sumood comes under a price, and in Eman’s case, it was being killed while she was preserving lives. She was one of 254 aid workers killed in Gaza since October 7th and as we remember her legacy, we reiterate our calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the opening of all humanitarian corridors.

We also would like to dedicate this day to our teams in other conflict zones such as Somalia, Yemen, Myanmar Sudan and Syria who have worked tirelessly to Serve Humanity as they grapple with conflict. Despite dealing with the instability that comes with conflict, our colleagues are providing healthcare, food and water to the most vulnerable people, while working on longer-term projects such as education, livelihoods for women and so much more.

Our hearts are with our colleagues across the world who are Serving Humanity under such violent conditions. We pray for their safety and urge the international community to do more for their protection.

“On World Humanitarian Day 2024, Muslim Aid joins the UN OCHA-led campaign #ActforHumanity, to bring attention to this humanitarian unfairness and strongly advocate for the safety and protection of those who endanger their lives to deliver humanitarian aid and for the millions trapped in crisis, who deserve support and humanitarian action”, says Asif Shahab, Humanitarian Programmes Manager at Muslim Aid.

“It's a commitment we've observed repeatedly. From Muslim Aid partners delivering emergency aid during an air raid in Gaza to our MA colleagues in Somalia and Sudan swiftly delivering flood relief amidst a highly volatile situation, the stories of devotedness embody the very spirit of acting for humanity”, he added.

This World Humanitarian Day, celebrating humanitarian workers is not enough. We need those in power to act now to ensure the protection of civilians, including humanitarians, in conflict zones.

2023 marked the deadliest year on record for humanitarian workers and we fear that 2024 could be even worse. On World Humanitarian Day, we call to end these violations and the impunity that allows them.