Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip raised 10 millions of dollars in less than a month for build homes for Syrian refugees, activists say behind the campaign.
“The idea was to collect 100 radiators for 100 houses. Then, we found out this people help and we have a lot of stuff,” Ibrahim Khalil, 33, a social activist of the city of Nazareth, said Monday.
For the past six years, Palestinians have given food and other necessities to Syrian refugees in Idlib region border of Turkey through a non-profit organization group called merciful souls.
But the volume of donations this winter was unprecedented, the head of the organization, said Raed Badr. He believes that the videos that circulated on social media of children suffering from cold in motivated snow people to open their pockets.
“One day I hope they will move us in home because the rain is drowning our tents,” elevenyear-Old Nada, a living orphan with her grand-mother, said in one video.
The plan is to build about 3,000 homes, Badr said. The construction will also include clinics and schools, based on a model published on the organization is website.
Khalil said organizers were hoping for the construction of the homes will be completed in six at eight months.
A call for contributions went viral on social media with the Arabic hashtag “houses instead of tents.”
Images of displaced families resonated with Palestinians because they had suffered as refugees living in tents for years, Khalil said, after being forced to leave their homes or fled in the war that surrounded Israel creation in 1948.
snow and cold weather have made the difficult situation in Idlib tent camps, with strong winds causing destruction.
At freezing temperatures, children stick together to keep warm, burn pieces of plastic, old shoes and scraps of wood they collect for ignition.
Turkish aid agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) continue to help those in urgent need in northwest Syria. Many Turkish NGOs and state agencies, including Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) and Humanitarian Aid Foundation (IHH), continue to provide humanitarian aid lifeline and lead humanitarian efforts in the region hosting nearly 4 millions people.
Idlib region is home at nearly 2.8 millions displaced people and the last Syrian enclave to oppose Bashar Assad’s regime in Damascus.
Idlib is part of a de-escalation zone forged under a deal between Turkey and Russia in March 2020. However, the Assad regime has consistently violated the ceasefirefire termlaunching frequent attacks inside the de-escalation zone.
