Hong Kong’s punk community has raised HK$21,375 for hungry Palestinians in the war-torn Gaza Strip.
Punk music promoter Rice and punk community Blank Slate held a “Rise for Liberation” fundraiser on October 31, with proceeds going to We Feed Gaza.
The event was co-organised by record label Mouhoi.
We Feed Gaza – an independent grassroots Catholic movement that distributes food to starving people in the Palestinian territory – has fed over 18,000 families, raising almost half a million US dollars on GoFundMe.
The ongoing campaign says it has distributed over 290,000 litres of fresh water, over 10,400 treats for children, 5,700 meals, as well as fresh groceries and essentials through their distributors.
Rice thanked its Instagram followers earlier this month. “We are all living through a very dark period,” the punk community said. “With our own worlds full of problems, it may be easier to look away than to show compassion for others. But one day, you may look back and wish you had done more when you could have.”
According to We Feed Gaza’s campaign page, it seeks to provide daily meals, healthy food items and medicine for the sick. “Due to the Gaza War, people are without water, food, medicine, electricity, reliable internet, schools, hospitals, housing units, places of worship, disease is rampant, money is scarce, rubble surrounds civilians, and there are ongoing military threats.”
The US-based initiative added: “A basic meal costs $17-$20. Until recently, all donations came from my brother Alex, and I [Omar Haro]. We are not millionaires, just working-class people… A small donation will help others immediately. A US$25 gift helps one family for 1-2 days or one child for 2-3 days.”
Acute malnourishment
The death toll in Gaza continues to rise, topping 69,000 as of last week, despite a US-brokered ceasefire.
The Lancet medical journal said in January that the actual death toll might be up to 41 per cent higher, with the Israeli military’s own data indicating that 83 per cent of those killed are civilians.
See also: After 3 tours in Gaza, Hong Kong nurse wishes for end to Israel’s war in Palestinian territory
The Gaza Health Ministry said last week that Israeli forces had killed over 242 Palestinians since the ceasefire came into effect on October 10.
Meanwhile, a study published in The Lancet last month showed that almost 55,000 Palestinian children under the age of six in Gaza were estimated to be acutely malnourished.
An independent United Nations inquiry concluded for the first time in September that “Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.” Israel denies the charge.
The latest flare-up of the conflict was sparked when militant group Hamas stormed into Israel, took around 250 hostages and killed at least 1,139 people on October 7, 2023.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant – has declared that there will be no Palestinian state.
On Monday, the UN Security Council backed a US-led stabilisation plan for Gaza.
