Beyond Permission: Sa7ten and the New Paradigm of Relief in Gaza
The occupation has banned more than 37 International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) from Gaza. This move was predictable. For two years, these groups relied on the occupation’s "deconfliction" system (COGAT), operating only where they were granted permission. By accepting a permission-based framework that the occupation openly ignored, these groups became vulnerable. They provided a legal alibi for the occupier to claim a coordination system was in place, even as that system functioned as a death trap. By bending to bureaucratic demands, these organizations signaled that their internal mandates were more important than their political independence. The ban is the final checkmate in the occupation’s plan to dismantle independent aid.
While these large institutions are now stuck in the trap they helped build, Sa7ten’s work has never stopped. We did not wait for permission to survive. Sa7ten’s operations are founded on the agency of our people and on leadership defined by lived experience under siege, enabling rapid shifts in response as the reality on the ground changes.
Steadfastness in Motion: Three Operations
The occupation is trying to erase Gaza house by house, blowing up 60% of our residential areas. Ahmad, Sa7ten’s Operations Manager, describes the scale of the destruction: "You go out and not a single house is standing. It’s larger than any human imagination." Our team moves through this rubble, responding not to bureaucratic cycles, but to the immediate needs of the streets.
Reclaiming Joy: The Yarmouk Madih Evening
(December 26, 2025)
In the freezing wind of the Yarmouk Displacement Center, Sa7ten organized an evening of Prophetic Praise (Madih Nabawi). We gathered to mark a wedding and a birth. In a place where the occupation tries to reduce life to a struggle for bread, we chose to celebrate. More than 200 families gathered to share coffee and song. Ahmad noted the impact on the residents: "It’s a good thing that brings joy to the people... it was something very excellent."
Defying the Cold: 250 Jackets
(January 1, 2026)
By New Year’s Day, rain had turned the camps into mud. There was no time to spend weeks making lists. We found a local merchant who needed liquidity and bought 250 high-quality, windproof jackets at a low price and took them directly to the streets of Al-Shati, Al-Azhar, and the Al-Bassa camps. We gave them to those the world has turned its back on - those standing in the rain and living in torn, flooded tents. "You are in Gaza right now," Ahmad explains. "It’s enough that it keeps you warm. My priority is that the largest possible number of people benefit."
Our People Donating Blood
(January 6, 2026)
Working with the Blood Bank, we helped collect over 50 units of blood. As the siege has left people exhausted and undernourished, we ensured all donors and medical workers received a hot meal of chicken and rice, distributing 100 portions in total. "When you give a person a quarter chicken with rice, prepared in the best possible way... this makes a difference to them.” Ahmad says. “Currently, chicken is a blessing." We also were able to provide cash honorariums to the six medical workers who support Gaza’s hospitals without receiving a regular wage.
The Challenges of the Siege
Our team operates from a small apartment in Gaza. We live as the people live, facing the same cold. Our biggest struggle is the fuel blockade. To clear rubble or open a road, a bulldozer costs $1,000 an hour because fuel is so scarce. Ahmad details the reality of these costs: "One hour of a bulldozer today, given the price of fuel, is $1,000... to have a truck clear a street or remove rubble, an hour is $1,000." Yet, we do not stop. We monitor the markets closely. If the price of meat or cloth drops, we act immediately, making the resources we have go further and allowing us to do more.
Rebuilding a Future
Every day we move forward. To help children and students to reclaim their right to childhood, we have begun planning festivals. For the 60 municipal workers and five engineers who have worked under fire to keep the city running, we are preparing to give cash grants. As soon as fuel arrives, we will return to the streets to clear the ruins. Each act of rebuilding strengthens a future defined by steadfastness.
Gaza has shown the world that humanity is worth fighting for and that the will of the people is the only force that endures. The big aid groups failed because they tried to manage pain within the occupier's rules. They lost their independence, and now they have lost their access.
We ask you to stand with Sa7ten. We have proven that the best way to bypass colonial measures is to work directly with those on the ground. Your support does not get lost in bureaucracy. It goes directly to a warm jacket, a hot meal, or a cleared road. Help us prove that our people cannot be erased and that they remain rooted in their land.
Support Sa7ten. Stand with Gaza. Full liberation is imminent.
