For Abdullah Qudaih, humanitarian work is not something happening from a distance.
It is part of his everyday life.
The 30-year-old Gaza resident says he has been involved in distributing humanitarian assistance since the beginning of the war, purchasing essential supplies and personally delivering them to displaced families whose needs continue to grow.
Today, that work is supported in part through “Gaza Calls You,” a crowdfunding campaign created to provide necessities including food, drinking water, clothing, blankets and other emergency assistance.
Want to help now? Support Abdullah Qudaih’s “Gaza Calls You” campaign and help provide essential aid to displaced families in Gaza.
Donate on JustGiving →
But behind every donation total is something much more personal. Families. Children. Parents.
People who have been displaced from their homes and are trying to maintain a sense of dignity amid extraordinary circumstances.
“Every tent holds a sad story,” Abdullah tells Pump It Up Magazine.
We spoke with Abdullah about what inspired the campaign, the realities of delivering aid on the ground, the people whose stories have stayed with him, and why he is asking the international community not to look away.
This interview has been lightly edited for grammar and clarity while preserving Abdullah Qudaih’s meaning and voice.
Meet Abdullah Qudaih
Pump It Up Magazine: Could you introduce yourself and tell our readers a little about who you are?
Abdullah Qudaih:
I am Abdullah Qudaih from the Gaza Strip. I am 30 years old, and I have been working in relief efforts and distributing aid since the beginning of the war.
His involvement began with direct distributions.
But as people witnessed that work, Abdullah says something changed.
Families began approaching him themselves.
How “Gaza Calls You” Began
What inspired you to create the “Gaza Calls You” campaign?
Abdullah explains that the campaign developed naturally from the humanitarian work he was already doing.
“When I began distributing aid, displaced people started appealing to me to provide for their needs after seeing the distributions I was carrying out.”
Those requests made the scale of the need increasingly difficult to ignore.
The result was Gaza Calls You, an effort designed to turn financial contributions into practical assistance for people living through displacement and severe hardship.
What Families Need Most
There is no single item Abdullah can point to as the greatest need.
Instead, he describes a long list of necessities many people would normally take for granted.
What are the most urgent needs families in Gaza are facing right now?
“The needs are vast and varied, ranging from tents, blankets, clothing, drinking water and food to numerous other supplies.”
For displaced families, those items are not conveniences.
They can determine whether a family has somewhere to sleep, something to eat, clean water to drink or enough protection from the elements.
Every contribution can help. Donations support the purchase and distribution of essentials such as food, drinking water, blankets, clothing and other urgent supplies.
Support the Gaza Calls You Campaign →
Where the Donations Go
For people donating from thousands of miles away, one of the most important questions is simple:
What happens to the money?
Abdullah says the donations are used to purchase supplies requested by displaced people.
“I purchase the necessary supplies for displaced persons while fully and meticulously documenting all procurement and distribution activities.”
He also told Pump It Up Magazine that he personally manages the distributions rather than working through another organization.
How do you work with teams on the ground to distribute assistance?
“I have not collaborated with any entity. I handle all distributions individually.”
That direct involvement means he is not simply hearing about people’s needs secondhand. He encounters them personally.
Aid Under Extraordinary Conditions
Humanitarian work is difficult even under stable circumstances.
For Abdullah, the challenges are far greater.
When asked what makes providing assistance most difficult, he identified two immediate obstacles.
“The current challenges are a lack of support and, even more so, the relentless bombardment.”
Those circumstances also mean requests for assistance can arrive faster than resources become available.
Abdullah says he continuously receives appeals from people seeking help.
That imbalance—between what families need and what one person or one campaign can provide—is one of the realities behind the fundraiser.
“Every Tent Holds a Sad Story”
Some interview questions are difficult to answer because there is simply no single story to choose.
We asked Abdullah whether there was one family, child or experience that had affected him more than others.
His response captured the scale of what he sees.
“Many cases have left a deep mark on me. The situation here is pitiful, and every tent holds a sad story.”
It may be one of the most important statements in the entire conversation.
Humanitarian crises can easily become statistics: donation totals, numbers of displaced people, quantities of food delivered.
But Abdullah’s answer brings the focus back to individual lives.
Behind each tent is a person with a history, a family and plans that existed before displacement.
Why Children and Women Need More Than Material Aid
The Gaza Calls You campaign also identifies psychological support for children and women among the areas it hopes to address.
For Abdullah, emotional well-being cannot be completely separated from physical survival.
He points specifically to children who have lost parents and women who have lost husbands and family providers.
The consequences extend beyond the immediate loss.
Grief, insecurity, displacement and uncertainty can continue long after an emergency distribution is completed.
That is why, for Abdullah, humanitarian assistance must ultimately be about something larger than delivering supplies.
It is about helping people hold onto their dignity.
Hundreds of People Choosing to Help
The campaign has attracted support from hundreds of donors.
For Abdullah, those contributions represent something beyond their monetary value.
What does that international solidarity mean to you?
“I admire the solidarity people around the world have shown and their commitment to helping displaced people in Gaza. It reflects the love, goodwill and compassion they feel toward us. It is truly beautiful.”
Small donations matter too.
One person may not be able to provide everything a displaced family requires. But hundreds of people contributing what they can can create something much larger collectively.
Behind every donation is a family waiting for help.
Support the “Gaza Calls You” campaign and help provide food, water, clothing, blankets and other essential aid.
Give What You Can →
Why £30,000 Isn’t the Finish Line
The current fundraising target for Gaza Calls You is £30,000, but Abdullah does not see that number as an endpoint.
He says he has previously completed two fundraising targets and increased the target once each one was reached.
“This isn’t just a goal; it’s a target I’ve set, and I renew it immediately once it’s reached. I’ve already completed two previous ones, thanks to God.”
For him, reaching £30,000 would therefore not mean the work is finished.
It would mean the campaign can continue.
As long as families continue requesting help, he hopes support will continue alongside them.
What Abdullah Wants the World to Understand
When people live far from a humanitarian crisis, attention inevitably shifts.
Another headline appears.
Another event dominates social media.
Another crisis enters the news cycle.
Abdullah’s request is simple: don’t stop paying attention.
He says hunger, shortages of drinking water and the consequences of the continuing conflict remain part of daily life for families around him.
“I urge you not to cease your support or stop raising awareness about the situation.”
For Abdullah, awareness and humanitarian action are connected.
Someone shares a campaign.
Another person discovers it.
Someone contributes £5.
Someone else contributes £50.
A family receives food, water, clothing or another essential item.
That chain often begins with one person deciding not to scroll past.
“The People of Gaza Deserve to Live With Dignity”
We ended our conversation by asking Abdullah what he would say directly to Pump It Up Magazine readers who want to help.
His answer returned to one word:
Dignity.
“I urge them to contribute to ensuring a dignified life in Gaza and to keep doing so. You are good people, and the people of Gaza deserve to live with dignity—and through you and your support, we can make that happen.”
It is easy to think that a single donation cannot possibly address a humanitarian crisis of this magnitude.
Abdullah sees it differently.
For the person receiving a blanket, food, clean drinking water or another desperately needed item, that contribution is not abstract.
It is immediate.
And for one family, on one day, it can matter enormously.
How to Support the “Gaza Calls You” Campaign
Readers who would like to support Abdullah Qudaih’s humanitarian efforts can visit the Gaza Calls You fundraiser on JustGiving:
Support the Gaza Calls You Campaign on JustGiving
If you are unable to donate, sharing the campaign can also help introduce it to people who may be able to contribute.
Donate. Share. Raise awareness. Every act of support can help extend the campaign’s reach.
Pump It Up Magazine is sharing Abdullah Qudaih’s story as an independent editorial feature. Statements regarding conditions on the ground, distributions and use of campaign funds in this interview reflect Qudaih’s account.
See Abdullah’s latest aid distributions and campaign updates on Instagram.
Follow @deen___abdullah on Instagram
Photos courtesy of Abdullah Qudaih / @deen___abdullah
