Israeli police shut down Gaza fundraiser by Jewish and Palestinian grassroots movement

Israeli police have cancelled a fundraiser which would see proceeds go to civilians in war-battered Gaza, following a complaint from a far-right Israeli.

The event, which was planned for Friday, was organised by the Jewish and Palestinian grassroots movement Standing Together.

The organisation has been vocal about Israel’s war on Gaza and has also repeatedly called for a ceasefire. In recent months, the movement has further called for, and attempted to help with, the entry of emergency humanitarian aid into Gaza.

According to reports in Hebrew media, organisers of the fundraising event were called into a police station in Jerusalem, where they were told that there was an order issued against them.

Police said that the event would feature activities whose "goals, purpose and results may serve or fund the Hamas terror group".

It was later revealed that the complaint was issued by Shai Glick, the far-right CEO of an organisation called Btsalmo, which aims to pressure the Israeli government and authorities to force venues to pull funding, or refuse to host events by left-wing groups who are critical of Israel’s actions.

Previously, he has called for students to be permanently expelled from university for protesting the war on Gaza.

Police confirmed that they banned the fundraising event, claiming that any funds could be sent to Hamas, despite the event advertisements clearly stating that all profits would be used for "humanitarian aid in Gaza".

"All transfer of money and/or property to the territory of the Strip raises realistic fears that the assets will in fact reach Hamas and/or bodies related to it, in violation of the law," the statement from the police read.

Following the banning of the event Standing Together issued a statement, clarifying that their members and events have helped send "over 200 aid trucks to families in the Gaza Strip over the past year, in collaboration with international aid groups."

The statement added: "Standing Together will continue to work to end the war, release the hostages, and for a better future for all those who live on this land – Israelis and Palestinians".

The organisation received serious threats from far-right Israelis earlier this month, forcing them to change the location of their venue.

They were also forced to keep the location of the event a secret from performers who were set to be there, in order to avoid any threats or disruptions from far-right protesters.

The efforts to provide aid for Gaza by grassroots organisations comes as Israel continues to heavily restrict aid into Gaza, triggering a famine.

At least 322 Palestinians have died from starvation, including children. Meanwhile, the Israel and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been condemned internationally, has killed over 1,000 aid-seekers in the enclave since they started operating in May.

The lack of aid coming in has caused diseases and illnesses to spike, while bombardment has devastated the healthcare infrastructure in the enclave.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed over 62,966 Palestinians since October 2023 and wounded over 159,266 others in the same time frame. The war has been determined to be a genocide by leading rights groups, including Amnesty International.