South Africa’s largest disaster response organization, the Gift of the Givers, is mourning the loss of Ahmed Abbasi, the Head of their Gaza office, who was tragically killed alongside his brother while returning home from morning prayers on Thursday. Abbasi, a father of three, had been stationed in Gaza since 2013 and played a crucial role in implementing various humanitarian projects.
In a heart-wrenching statement, the organization revealed that Abbasi was directly targeted by the Israeli forces, describing him as a “kind, gentle, warm human being.” He had been overseeing projects including the care of orphans, widows, the elderly, and the ill, delivering water through desalination plants, distributing food parcels, providing hot meals, and upgrading damaged homes.
The statement from Gift of the Givers highlighted Abbasi’s witness to the alleged lies and deception of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), accusing them of instructing communities to move to safety and then bombing them on the way, resulting in the death of hundreds.
“We are grateful that he served us for forty consecutive days during this war where the cold-blooded murder, ethnic cleansing, and genocide of a defenseless civilian population took place at the hands of the anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian, anti-Christian, and anti-Muslim, inhumane Zionist Israeli murderers,” the organization stated.
Gift of the Givers expressed full support for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call to investigate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and ethnic cleansing. The organization also backed the parliamentary motion for the immediate expulsion of the Israeli Ambassador and the severing of diplomatic ties with Israel. They demanded that Israel be held accountable for war reparations to aid in the rebuilding of Gaza and compensate the families affected.
“To Ahmed Abbasi, ‘to the Almighty we belong and to Him is our return. Rest in peace, my friend, you have served with distinction. Justice will be done, God’s wrath will descend, and Truth will be made manifest. Israel has already lost,'” said Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman, the founder of Gift of the Givers.
This heartbreaking incident follows South African Foreign Minister Nalendi Pandor’s plea to the world, urging Israel to stop the “crime against humanity” in Gaza.
The Gift of the Givers community and the broader international community are left mourning the loss of a dedicated humanitarian, as the call for justice and accountability in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict grows louder.
