On World Humanitarian Day, ShelterBox USA honors the lives of three colleagues in relief aid: Haitham Juma, Ahmad Sa’ad, and Batoul Abu Samra. They were members of the Palestinian Agricultural Development Association, or PARC, with whom ShelterBox has partnered to deliver critical supplies, including tents, tarpaulins, and rope into Gaza.
Haitham Juma was killed in an Israeli airstrike on June 2 while trying to obtain food aid to feed his family. Ahmad Sa’ad was killed, along with members of his family, in an Israeli airstrike on his home in Gaza City on June 27. Batoul Abu Samra was killed in an Israeli airstrike on July 1. On the same day, nearly her entire family was killed.
As we honor their memory, we continue to call for a permanent ceasefire, for all civilians to be protected, and for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza.
The three PARC aid workers’ deaths and the growing threats serve as a sobering reminders that relief work is becoming more dangerous, demanding even greater courage and resilience from humanitarian workers. Their safety, in all contexts, must remain a global priority.
In Gaza, the immediate priority for affected communities is access to food and medicine. While ShelterBox’s emergency shelter aid is ready and waiting, ongoing restrictions prevent us from reaching those in need. We have additional aid pre-positioned in Jordan, including enough tents to shelter thousands of people, but we cannot move it into Gaza until access is granted.
Today and every day, ShelterBox stands with our partner organizations and colleagues who dedicate their lives to supporting others — often in the most dangerous and challenging environments.
