Update on Amgad Al-Mahalawi

I have known Amgad Al-Mahalawi (36) for over decade as he was a staff person for Al-Najd Development Forum, a Palestinian development organization supported by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) when I Directed of the MCC UN Office.  Amgad, his wife Qamar (26) and their two sons, Majd (5) and Ibrahim (3) have been forced from their family near Gaza City when the Israelis invaded Gaza after the Hamas attack of southern Israel on October 7, 2023.  They spent a month moving from house to house to evade bombing and shelling until they moved into a third-floor classroom in a school near Gaza City.  In November the Israelis attack the school and a tank shell exploded in the classroom where his extended family was sheltering, wounding Amgad’s wife and both children while killing his father, sister, brother and 27 other refugees in that school.

Amgad immediately grabbed his wife and children and ran to find medical assistance.  For the next two months the family traveled mostly by foot from Gaza City to Rafah on the Egyptian border sleeping in hospitals, schools or mosques.

Amgad bought wood and nylon and built a tent for his family in Rafah where they received food and water from the UN Relief and Works Agency and international NGOs.  Despite the fact that the UN and the World Court had called for a ceasefire, in May the Israelis attacked Rafah, a city of 1.4 million inhabitants, ordered all civilians to leave Rafah.  Amgad moved his family to Khan Younis to a section declared safe zone, but a city without international NGOs to assist with food and water, which could only be obtained by purchase in the marketplace.

Amgad brought the wood from his tent in Rafah and rebuild his tent in Khan Younis.

On August 17^th, the Israelis dropped leaflets notifying Gazans that they would begin bombing a previously “safe zone” very near Amgad’s family tent, and a few days later expanded the red zone.

On August 17, I got this text.

The bombing is very close. Some shrapnel reached us. The sounds are terrifying, the children are screaming.

They all time bombing.

The next day, I got these messages.

We leave, they shooting and killing people
We sleep out in street
We don’t know where to go. . .

“ I am so sorry. My prayers will go with you” Doug

Thank you brother

The following day,

We left because of the bombing, heavy bombing.  We were running under the bullets. The children did not sleep, from fear they wet themselves.

We are in the street.  My family found a place next to my relatives who sleep on the ground without anything. I arranged for them a blanket, a mattress and a temporary cover for them to sleep in until the situation ends because we do not have a tent

“Will you be able to return to your tent this evening?” D

No, I cannot go back with family

They killed my father sister brother last November

I don’t want to see more of my family die

“So the IDF is still in the area of your tent, and you cannot return to your tent” D

No, no one can go back.

In the area opposite me, there are all the tanks, snipers, drones armed with guns and shooting at people.

We hope and pray for stop war

“Please know that my family and friends are praying for you and working to end the genocide and the occupation” D

I know, thank you so much, brother

Today’s texts

When we fled our tent in the middle of the shelling, we left with only the clothes on our backs.  Yesterday a relative and I tried to go back to our tent to get food, clothes and a few supplies for my family.  An Israeli drone helicopter flew out and shot at us.  We quickly ran away, but we could see that they had earlier shot up our tents and burned some of our neighbor’s tents.

I do not know when it will be safe to go back to the tent. The Israelis never tell us when they leave an area.

Here so bad, we need help for stop this war.  Only Americans and Europeans can end this war.

“I will write what you have said and will share with my family and friends who will pray for your safety and work to end this war and the occupation. “ D

Doug Hostetter

8/20/2024