Nordic YM - news from Gaza
Michael Eccles writes about a workshop about Gaza that he attended during Nordic YM:
During Nordic YM, held in Stavanger on the 3-6 July 2025 a workshop was held by Quaker Service Norway where we were able to be in touch with a nurse in Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip in ‘live time’ via WhatsApp. It was a moving experience which I’d like to share with you.
Yousef is a nurse at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, working with Doctors Without Borders (MSF). He holds a Master’s degree in Community Mental Health and is currently pursuing a second Master’s in Psychotherapy. He previously worked as a mental health professional for four years.
Mohamed, Yousef’s cousin, is originally from Gaza and currently lives in Norway, where he is active in humanitarian efforts supporting the people of Gaza.
It is possible to send money to Yousef via Mohamed. If you are interested in doing this please get in touch with Michael Eccles
Below is a copy of the messages sent during the meeting:
- Quakers in Stavanger (QIS)
- Yousef, a nurse in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip (Yousef)
QIS: Greetings Yousef, We are 12 Quakers from 5 countries sitting and reflecting on our brothers & sisters in Palestine. One question we have is what are your living conditions now? Are you in your family’s home or temporary shelter?
Another question is how are the people you care for and what might we do to support you all?
Yousef: Right now, I am living through the most difficult period of my life—alongside my family—during this war on Gaza. Access to basic needs has become extremely hard, and sometimes impossible.
We have been stripped of almost all essentials due to the siege we’re under. We lack safety, rest, dignity, food, clean drinking water, and even salty water in the taps or for toilets. What used to be simple routines—like taking a warm shower or eating a balanced meal with protein and carbohydrates—have become dreams we no longer expect to reach soon.
For five months, from December 2023 to June 2024, I lived in a tent in a temporary camp in Rafah during the winter. After that, we moved to another informal camp on the street, where we’ve been for the last nine months. Even using the toilet now requires waiting in a long line, planning ahead, and hoping for your turn to come in time.
This is our daily life waiting, surviving, hoping for the most basic things.
Could you explain to me what you can provide? Or what you focus on!
QIS: Sure. We have a discussion about how we can help. We are a faith community so we will continue to pray for a ceasefire. And keep you all actively in our prayers. We will also collect some funds here.
I understand from Mohamed that he can get the money to your colleagues entering Gaza and they can use the funds on things which you need. Mohamed mentioned power banks, SIM cards, and the like.
Is this a helpful way to proceed?
Yousef: Yes, this is very helpful, and I truly appreciate your efforts and intentions. In addition to what Mohamed shared, I’d like to add a few urgent needs that can make a real difference:
Water access: We need water tanks for drinking and tanks for daily use “ washing, cleaning, etc.
Electricity: Batteries, solar panels, and their components are essential to provide power for basic needs. A fan is especially important now due to the extreme heat.
Bedding: We need mattresses, blankets, and pillows. Many families sleep on hard surfaces or the ground.
Food: If possible, basic food supplies, especially flour and essential staples.
Direct support: If there’s a way to provide cash inside Gaza, it helps families buy what is most urgent for them in local markets when available.
To get cash, I must pay a 45% fee to someone who exchanges money from the bank to cash. For example, if I want to get 100 shekels in cash, I need to pay 145 shekels from my bank account and only receive 100 in my hand.
Hygiene Supplies: Soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste
Children’s Needs: Baby formula and diapers
Communication Tools: SIM cards and Chargers , power banks
Its a lot actually, but this is our life nowadays
QIS: We had heard 40% fee for money to enter Gaza. This is horrible.
Yousef: It rises above 45%, depending on news. If there is a ceasefire it goes down. For example: Yesterday, after the announcement that Hamas accepted the ceasefire proposal, the cash conversion fee dropped to 40%. Today, Israeli news reports say the truce won’t happen for at least 10 more days—so the fee has increased again to 49%. This is how directly the political situation affects our daily survival.
QIS: It’s important for us to understand these details. Thank you again Yousef. We will be in touch.
Yousef: Thank you for listening and for truly wanting to understand
