#GazaSoupKitchen Update

April 5, 2026 by #HaniAlmadhoun, Organizer

"Today is my birthday, and I wanted to share this note with you.

This week felt special.

We expanded. Two new kitchens came online—one in the south, in #Rafah, along the coast, in that narrow sliver of land that Palestinians in Gaza can still access. The other is in central Gaza, in the Middle Area, serving a camp known as #AlQuds.

People are grateful—not just for the meals, but for the fact that we are still here. Many initiatives and charities slowed down or closed after Ramadan. We didn’t.

This brings us to fifteen kitchens in operation, along with two additional contracted sites supporting hospital meal programs. We are now covering four hospitals, from #KhanYounes to #GazaCity. Because of you, we are not just reacting—we are positioned to do more, and to keep showing up.

Our water trucks are still moving, delivering fresh drinking water to communities that have nowhere else to turn. Our two learning centers continue to grow, with one now serving more than fifty students—children holding on to some sense of normalcy.

On the ground, our team has doubled down. We’ve increased field visits and continued distributing modified food parcels directly to tents and shelters.

Today, we also reopened registration.

We received requests from two groups. The first: new families who have not benefited from our work before. We registered 750 families, though after verification, we expect to serve around 500.

The second: 3,000 families signed up for a lighter food parcel. A small package—but for many, it matters.

I don’t think any of us imagined we would be here this long.

The absence of headlines does not mean the absence of suffering. The trauma continues. The conditions persist. And people are still being lost—every day. It is deeply unfair.

But here’s what I hold on to: you and I are doing something. It may feel small in the face of so much, but it is real. It is constant. And it reaches people who would otherwise be left with nothing.

In more personal news, I’ve submitted a manuscript to several publishing houses. It’s a book about the Gaza Soup Kitchen—our losses, the community we’ve built together, and the relief efforts you’ve made possible. It will take time, and I don’t expect much financially from it, but it feels important to document this chapter—truthfully and with care. If any of you are connected to literary agents or publishers, I would be grateful for a conversation.

I hope those of you who observed Passover or Easter found moments of peace and reflection as this holy season comes to a close.

Thank you for standing with us—not just in moments of urgency, but in the long, quiet stretch that follows.

We are still here.

In solidarity,
Hani"

To donate:
https://www.
gofundme.com/f/Hot-meals-in-gaza-daily

#NorthGaza #GazaAid #GazaFundraisers #FreePalestine #Fundraisers #FoodIsLife #WaterIsLife #GoFundMe #BeitLahiya #BaitLahiya #KhanYounes #Palestine #Genocide #Starvation #IsraeliWarCrimes #NorthernGaza
Remember #ChefMahmoud
#HumanRightsAreNeverWrong #IsraeliWarCrimes #BibiIsAWarCriminal

A Gaza, des bombardements israéliens parmi les plus meurtriers depuis le début du cessez-le-feu

https://vid.freedif.org/w/er3fLvvCcKu654yZjc6Aw8

#GazaSoupKitchen Update

March 15, 2026 by #HaniAlmadhoun, Organizer

"Friends, supporters, allies —

Tonight is Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Power, and I wanted to share a personal update from the last ten days here at the Gaza Soup Kitchen. I hope you’ll read this as a conversation, because that’s what this work is: real people, real families, real moments, not just numbers or logistics.

A lot of people aren’t paying close attention to #Gaza right now, and that’s understandable. People here don’t want to always be in the news. But they also don’t want to suffer in silence.

Silence, right now, looks like this: in March alone, food prices in Gaza rose by at least 37%, and they continue to climb. A small piece of clothing for a child for Eid can cost $60, when the same item might sell for $20 elsewhere. Aid has slowed, deliveries cut to a fraction of what they were — 80 trucks a day instead of 250–300. Prices spike, families struggle, and every day is harder than the last.

For our team, this means every meal costs more. Every food parcel is more expensive. But we refuse to compromise. The meals we serve in hospitals continue to include animal protein because families here have already been forced into mostly vegetarian diets for far too long. Nutrition, dignity, and care matter — even if it’s harder or more expensive to provide.

Running the kitchen is exhausting. Driving across Gaza to coordinate deliveries. Writing updates and responding to emails. Balancing logistics with compassion. There’s no real gain here, no profit, no easy path. The only reason we keep showing up is because it is needed, because the people we serve are counting on us, and because the smiles, the laughter, the moments of joy — even amid hardship — are worth everything.

During Ramadan, one of the things we’ve done is host communal iftars. Elderly folks gather, laugh, tease each other, sometimes even play small games. For a few hours, they feel lighter, younger, alive in a way that the day-to-day challenges can’t take away.

Today, we hosted a special program for children who are orphaned or separated from their parents. We brought live characters to dance and sing with them, set up face painting, served food — and yes, even cotton candy. These little touches are not easy, not cheap, but they bring joy and dignity in a situation that is otherwise incredibly difficult.

Everything we do is family-first. Mothers, sisters, daughters, brothers cook as they would for their own families. Portions go home just like they would in a family kitchen. We never compromise on quality, because the people we serve deserve the care we would want for our own families. Our name is on this work because it is personal, not commercial.

Looking ahead, we are planning a few changes to make our work even more effective. We’ll slightly reduce the size of some food parcels to expand the number of kitchens we operate. We’ll expand our hospital meal programs — right now we serve two hospitals, and after Ramadan we hope to serve at least three. Food parcels are important, but hot meals reach the families and children most in need, where hunger is visible, urgent, and unavoidable.

During Ramadan, we delivered around 35,000 food parcels — a massive effort — but still only about 10% of Gaza’s population. That’s a small fraction of the need. So we focus on where every dollar is spent wisely: hot kitchens, hospital meals, clean water deliveries, and programs that bring dignity and care.

This Ramadan, there is also something deeply meaningful that fills us with pride and hope. We’ve seen mosques raising funds for the Gaza Soup Kitchen, collectives of rabbis from Ceasefire, and even a few churches around the country coming together to support families in Gaza. Moments like these remind us of the good in humanity, of the ways people reach across divides to care for others. It’s a badge of honor to witness it — and a reminder that, even in the hardest times, kindness persists.

This work is exhausting, yes. It can make you cry. It can make you smile in the same moment. But it is also deeply human. The smiles on children’s faces. The laughter of elders at iftar. Families receiving a parcel that truly sustains them. These moments remind us why we keep showing up, day after day, even when it’s hard.

And none of this would be possible without you — your trust, your generosity, your willingness to stand with Gaza when the world’s attention shifts elsewhere. Every meal, every parcel, every program is made possible by your support. You make it possible for us to keep showing up for people who need it most.

From all of us here, with deep gratitude and respect for the resilience of the communities we serve: thank you. Thank you for being part of this family. Thank you for helping us hold space for dignity, care, and humanity in the hardest of circumstances.

With gratitude and heart,
Hani and the Board of the Gaza Soup Kitchen"

To donate:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/Hot-meals-in-gaza-daily

#NorthGaza #GazaAid #GazaFundraisers #FreePalestine #Fundraisers #FoodIsLife #WaterIsLife #GoFundMe #BeitLahiya #BaitLahiya #KhanYounes #Palestine #Genocide #Starvation #IsraeliWarCrimes #NorthernGaza
Remember #ChefMahmoud
#HumanRightsAreNeverWrong #IsraeliWarCrimes #BibiIsAWarCriminal

#Liban : "Très bientôt, Dahiyeh ressemblera à Khan Younès", a affirmé ce jeudi 5 mars #BezalelSmotrich https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bezalel_Smotrich ministre des Finances d' #extrêmedroite en #Israël, dans une vidéo postée sur son compte Telegram. La référence est sans équivoque. #KhanYounès, ville du sud de la bande de #Gaza, a presque été totalement détruite par les bombardements israéliens depuis octobre 2023 https://information.tv5monde.com/international/tres-bientot-la-banlieue-sud-de-beyrouth-ressemblera-khan-younes-israel-ordonne-levacuation-dune-partie-de-la-capitale-libanaise-2812381

Demande de mandat d’arrêt de la #CPI contre #Smotrich https://www.france-palestine.org/Les-demandes-de-mandat-d-arret-de-la-CPI-contre-les-Israeliens-Ben-Gvir-et