A Palestinian-Maltese woman who will be travelling with a shipping container carrying donations from Malta said she is “ready to die" to make sure it reaches Gaza.  

On Tuesday, food, clothing and other items collected by volunteers over the past few months were loaded into the container in Marsa before being shipped to the Gaza Strip later this week.   

A second container has also been filled and will leave if the funds for the shipping costs can be raised while donations are open to fill a third. 

Speaking to Times of Malta, Arabic Culture Information Society (ACIS) president Sanaa El-Nahhal admitted she was scared about her upcoming journey to make sure the donations reach Gaza.  

“I would be lying if I said that I wasn't afraid, but I try to hold it in. But, of course, I'm scared because this is not a normal war. This is a reckless war; they’re killing children and women”, she said.  

“I’ve seen many wars in Gaza, and I’ve been going there since 2009. But this war in particular, it is death itself. I am ready to die.”  

Describing the journey to Gaza as “very hard”, El-Nahhal said that despite warnings from her family in the region that she would face difficulties, she is determined to get there.  

“All my family and children tell me that I can’t go in, but this is my thing – I want to go in. I don’t know where I got this strength, but perhaps it’s because I hear all these stories from my family. And I just got this urge to move, to do something.” 

In an interview with Times of Malta in October, El-Nahhal said she received distressing news from family members in Gaza “almost every 10 minutes”. She has siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins in war-torn Gaza. 

Explaining she had been sending small items and money to the region – which she described as a “small miracle” – since the start of Israel’s offensive in the region, El-Nahhal said she quickly realised more help was needed.

This war is death itself- ACIS president Sanaa El-Nahhal

After discussing the issue with a friend, they decided to send a shipping container of donations to Gaza, the results of which could be seen on Tuesday.

“We did this big miracle with the Maltese people, the [Foreign] Ministry and our friends at ACIS. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

The society has been collecting donations from the Maltese public over the last few months, including holding a charity Bazaar in San Ġwann in November.

Speaking outside the shipping container on Tuesday, Palestinian Ambassador to Malta Fadi Hanania said this represented a vital lifeline for those in the region.

“Our people in Palestine rely on the support of the international community to help us end the suffering of our people. After more than four months... [we] are looking for people to stand with humanity, to stand with justice,” he said.

Palestinian Ambassador Fadi Hanania expressed his gratitude to the Maltese people and government. Photo: Karl Andrew Micallef.

"These donations, as small as they are, mean a lot to our people. People in Gaza are starving. Pregnant women do not find food to feed themselves and their unborn children.

“The situation in Gaza is so devastating that people are still hoping the international community will stand in solidarity with our people to implement justice, to implement the UN resolutions and to stop the suffering of 75 years of occupation”, Hanania said.

"Any small donation from the Maltese people means a lot to the Palestinians. Yes, we have to go through a lot for this delivery to arrive in Gaza. But we are still determined to collect more and more donations to our people in Palestine.”

Call for more donations

Hanania added that the embassy was working on sending another container to the region and urged people to continue donating. He thanked the Maltese people and the Foreign Ministry for their support.

Once the shipping container leaves Malta, it will face a long and difficult journey across the Mediterranean and through Egypt on route to the Rafah crossing on the border with Gaza.

Donated food and footwear being shipped to Gaza.

The crossing is at present one of only two entry points still open on the border with Egypt along with the nearby Karem Shalom crossing.

Both face regular closures and there have been frequent reports of Israeli forces turning items away under their strict “dual use” policy, which prevents items from entry which Israel determines as also having a military application.

According to Reuters, water purifiers, medical supplies and tent poles are among the items which have been blocked from Gaza under the policy.

Israel’s offensive in Gaza began in October after Hamas militants attacked the country by land, sea and air, killing around 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages.

Earlier this month, Malta’s UN ambassador Vanessa Frazier described Hamas’ actions as “demonic” in an interview with Times of Malta following her visit to Israel in January.

However, Frazier has stressed that the terrorist group’s actions do not justify alleged Israeli breaches of humanitarian law in its conflict with Hamas.

More than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of Israel’s offensive in the region, according to Gaza health officials.