The refugee camp of Khuzaa, Gaza, is home to the Abu Sultan family. The Abu Sultan family is a large Palestinian American family originally from the south of Gaza. On May 14, 2018, in a single day of violence along the Israel-Gaza border, forty-two members of the Abu Sultan family were killed in the crossfire between Palestinian protesters and the Israeli military.
The uncle of the Abu Sultan family, Hussein Abu Sultan, described what occurred during the April violence to an American publication that same year: “We witnessed a whole family mourn on that day. It was like a holocaust.”
In the aftermath of this tragedy, the remaining Abu Sultan family members are struggling to cope with such a huge loss of life in one day. Members of the Abu Sultan family who live in the United States have started a fundraiser to provide medical care and other necessary aid to families affected by the violence in Gaza. Their goal is to help those in need of medical assistance, food, clothing, and shelter.
Though the Abu Sultan family was not the only Palestinian American family affected by the violence in Gaza, their story has demonstrated the strength and resilience of the Palestinian people, even in the face of tragedy. To grieve and mourn such a monumental tragedy in one family is an immense weight, and yet they have still managed to come together and focus on aiding those who need it.
