The Lebanese Social Club is holding fundraisers in October for two humanitarian organizations — Lebanese Red Cross and Palestine Red Crescent Society — to assist with securing humanitarian aid for civilians and keeping medical services operational in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

Lebanese Social Club is holding two fundraisers this month to provide humanitarian aid. Photo courtesy Lebanese Social Club.

On Oct. 7, 2023, the militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel which killed over 1,200 Israelis and resulted in 254 hostages being taken. In response, Israel began their continued siege on the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in 41,000 deaths being officially recorded, and the displacement of over 90% of the Palestinian population.

Additionally, Israel carried out an invasion in Lebanon beginning on Oct. 30, following initial missile strikes by the militant group Hezbollah on Oct. 8, 2023, and the subsequent exchange of attacks between them and Israel throughout the past year. This invasion resulted in over 2,000 Lebanese deaths and displaced 1.2 million people. 

The fundraiser for Lebanon is set to run from Sept. 28 to Nov. 1. The fundraiser will be donation based and the contributor who donates the largest sum to the Lebanese Social Club (LSC) fundraiser via their donation link will win free admission to a trip to Big Bear Lake with LSC as part of their planned retreat.

The money from each fundraiser will go directly to the organizations via their websites. 

LSC members expressed concern that the money may not make it to its intended recipients in the Middle East due to efforts to block aid by Israel. 

“Considering that the [Lebanese] Red Cross is the only emergency support in Lebanon that has running ambulances, we’re hoping that money would go straight towards keeping those ambulances running and helping people get the emergency aid that they need.” Said 4th-year sociology major and LSC Fundraising Chair Dina Hassan.

Hassan also expressed concern regarding resources being blocked from reaching the people of Gaza and Lebanon by Israel, as there have been instances of humanitarian aid being delayed or blocked throughout the seventeen year blockade of Gaza enforced by Egypt and Israel and the intensified after the Oct. 7 2023 escalation. 

For the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) fundraiser, LSC is also selling T-shirts for $40 each, with all proceeds going to the PRCS. The shirts will be on sale from Sept. 30 until the stock sells out.

The front of the shirt features a green cedar tree with text including the words “we are all Gaza.” The back contains a graphic of a person standing beneath the words “revolution until victory” and holding a key in their raised hand. The key is a symbol of the Palestinian struggle and the Nakba — which began the Arab-Israeli war and thus the original displacement of the Palestinian people in 1948. LSC board members specially designed the T-shirts.

“By writing ‘we are all Gaza’ in the branches of the cedar tree, we aim to create a shirt that is more than just apparel; it is a symbol of unity, resilience and a reminder of our shared humanity. We hope this shirt serves as a timeless piece, a beacon that keeps the memory of Gaza in our hearts and actions for generations to come,” third-year biopsychology major and LSC president Talia Aboukhalil said.

LSC has plans to continue fundraising efforts throughout the 2024-25 school year to provide aid to Lebanon, according to Hassan.

A version of this article appeared on p. 5 of the Oct. 10, 2024 edition of the Daily Nexus.