Shahad Hassan

Today, Friday, October 9, 2026 In our 15th week and as part of Chef Hassan's project to provide meat meals to families in need, I prepared 50 meals containing rice and cuts of beef. Today’s meal was a charity in memory of Jamal, whom death has separated from us. Jamal passed away after years of battling cancer, following a wait of more than two years as he tried to reach Egypt to receive treatment there, amid the absence and complete lack of healthcare in the Gaza Strip **** If you’d like to read the story of this Palestinian man whose final years were stolen from him by illness and the siege, along with a video of us preparing the meal and footage from Thursday’s latest children’s event, you’ll find it here. [https://hassanbadrsawi.substack.com/p/when-it-was-too-late-jamals-story?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=5zl4si] **** We have prepared these meals to reach the children to eat them happily, so that the invitations of their families may be a mercy and a light that reaches Jamal with Allah’s permission. We ask Allah to envelop him in His vast mercy, to make what we have offered, together with you, a charity in his memory, to grant him its reward, and to make the prayers of these children and families an intercession for him on the Day he meets Him… May Allah have mercy on you Jamal, and make your good remembrance abide in our hearts, and gather us to you in the gardens of grace. ********* Ingredients Used and the Cost of This Initiative Meat I used 14 kilograms of beef,,, The price per kilogram of beef is 45 shekels. Total cost: $200 Rice I used 7 kilograms of rice, but it was only enough for 45 food parcels. I had to take enough rice for another 5 parcels from the meal my family was preparing. I would have made more, but I was pressed for time, so I wasn’t able to do that this time. The price per kilogram of rice is 9 shekels. Total cost: $20 Vegetables I wasn’t in the right mood to prepare a beautiful meal the way I always like to. So, consider this meal relatively simple and quick to prepare, with fairly basic ingredients. What made me even more disappointed was that I couldn’t find any parsley at the market. The parsley we planted hasn’t grown enough to be ready for picking yet. Well, I do love having a touch of green in my dishes. I used only lemon for garnish, shelled pistachios, and some spices and oil. Total cost: $50 Fruit I used apples and santroza Total cost: $60 Firewood and cooking gas Total cost: $30 Delivery $40 Packaging $20 Cleaning and hygiene supplies $10 Workers’ wages $100 The total cost of this initiative was $500 $500 ÷ 50 = $10. Every one of those dollars is a loving heart and a shoulder we can lean on amid the ongoing blockade and starvation in Gaza, and the complete collapse of the hot meals that were being provided by the World Central Kitchen (WCK), on which more than one million people in Gaza depended. With love Chef Hassan

A new financial statement, continuing from the first one, covering the period from August 31 through October 5, including all the financial transfers we received from your generous donations to this fund, which also includes subscription payments. ....................... Meal Costs As a continuation of the remaining meals, following the initial accounting review of the payments, here are the meal costs starting from the meal on August 30 through the meal on October 3: - $600 — cost of the meal on August 30 - $600 — cost of the meal on September 5 - $450 — cost of the meal on September 12 - $380 — cost of the meal on September 19 - $500 — cost of the meal on September 26 - $600 — cost of the meal on October 3 The meals are calculated after deducting the workers’ wages from each meal, because these were accounted for separately, to make the records easier to follow along with the payment notifications for each person that were previously included in our updates throughout the month. Therefore, the total cost of the meals is 2330$. .............. Emergency Financial Assistance - 100 shekels — Iman Dahlan, September 6 - 100 shekels — Mohammed Tamim Awad, September 6 - 100 shekels — Yousef Al Badrsawi, September 7 - 100 shekels — Mohammed Tamim Awadallah, October 5 - 100 shekels — Tasahil Al Namrouti, October 5 - 100 shekels — Mohammed Riyad Abu Suleiman, October 5 Total cost in dollars: $200 ........... Kitchen Workers - 100 shekels — Ali Al-Badrsawi, September 7 - 100 shekels — Saeed Al-Badrsawi, September 7 - 150 shekels — Nour Al-Badrsawi, September 7 - 50 shekels — Ahmed Al-Badrsawi, September 7 - 120 shekels — the children responsible for distributing the parcels, September 7 - 100 shekels — Ali, September 17 - 100 shekels — Saeed, September 18 - 100 shekels — Nour, September 18 - 100 shekels — the children, September 18 - 100 shekels — Ahmed, September 21 - 100 shekels — Nour, October 5 - 100 shekels — Ali, October 5 - 100 shekels — Saeed, October 5 - 100 shekels — the children, October 5 Total cost in dollars: $800 This amount is divided into $500 for the workers, in addition to $300 for the chef’s fees and his assistant, who is his wife, and sometimes Chef Raneen. At times, this amount is also used to donate by purchasing soft drinks or food for our cat Inga, depending on our banking situation with the transfers and according to the need. ............. Patients - $200 — Iman Hammad, September 17 - 100 shekels — Majdi Al Modlal, September 17 - 100 shekels — Doaa Dahlan, September 17 - 100 shekels — Mohammed Al Modlal, September 17 - 200 shekels — Majdi Al Modlal, September 22 - $300 — Iman Hammad, September 25 - $200 — Islam Abu Jazar, September 25 Total cost in dollars: $860 ........... Education - $100 for student Yasmeen Yousef Al Barsawi, September 21 - $100 for student Hala Mohammed Al Badrsawi, September 21 - $150 donated specifically for the children by our friend Rossini, spent on September 22 Total cost: $350 .... The total cost of all expenses: $2,210 ...... Donations Received from August 31 through October 5 We received an emergency transfer from the donation fund on August 31, amounting to $250. We received a transfer from the donation fund on September 5, amounting to $1,000. We received a transfer from the donation fund on September 17, amounting to $1,000. We received a direct bank transfer from our friend Abu Alya on September 20, amounting to $1,000. We received an emergency transfer from the donation fund on September 25, amounting to $500. We received a transfer from the donation fund on October 5, amounting to $1,000. The total amount of funds received this month was $4,750. The total cost of all expenses sent to families and spent on meals was $4,550. $4,750 − $4,550 = $200 The remaining $200 was allocated to expenses for Hassan and Shahad, bearing in mind that we have not included the cost of the children’s activities for the last two weeks, as this was Shahad’s request. However, if the number of children increases, we may ask for your help with this.. simply with small gifts for them, for anyone who would like to contribute and sponsor this on a weekly basis. This helps us continue the activity, because the children are always asking about their gift or even their prize. ... We also still have some outstanding debts at the grocery store and pharmacy, but that’s okay. We are still waiting for further transfers from your donation fund through our friends Manar and Ahmed, whose efforts we deeply appreciate. ... Important Note for New Donors We will not include all the bank transfer notifications, simply because there are too many of them. Including them all, or combining them together, would not make the records any clearer, and there is also a limit on the number of images that can be included in an update. If you are interested, you can find all of them in our previous updates. Today, we will only include the most recent payment notifications. Shukran for your understanding. And Shukran for your love, generosity, and support. Without you, neither we nor our community would be able to keep moving forward. Alhamdulillah for bringing us together with such a compassionate and loving community. Poet Shahad & Chef Hassan

In our fourteenth week as part of Chef Hassan’s project to provide meat meals for families in need, and after calculating what we received from the latest transfer from the fund, which also includes the subscription payments that my wife and I receive from our communities on Substack, I prepared 63 food parcels, each containing a double sandwich from the Golden Pie meal. The ingredients for the Golden Pie meal are similar to those I used for the Thai-style sandwich dish I prepared last week. The only difference is in the way they are prepared. ************ Ingredients Used and the Cost of This Initiative Meat I used 8 kilograms of chicken breast, at a price of 35 shekels per kilogram. Total cost: $92 Vegetables and spices I used 2 kilograms of colored sweet peppers, whose price has dropped slightly this week. I also used one and a half pounds of onions, one pound of potatoes for frying, lemons, garlic, two cans of mushrooms, cheese, breadcrumbs for frying, cooking oil, tahini, spices, pickles, and ketchup. Total cost: $130 Fruit I used approximately 20 kilograms of apples and cactus pears. The price of apples has also santroza. Total cost: $70 Taboon bread sheets I used 70 loaves of bread. Total cost: $30 Cooking gas I used approximately 2 kilograms of cooking gas. There was a lot of frying involved, for the sandwiches, potatoes, and the meal itself. The price was 90 shekels for kilogram Total cost: $58 Transportation and delivery We usually bring our groceries from the city of Deir al-Balah, from a supermarket we deal with every week. Total cost: $50 Safety and hygiene supplies $10 Packaging $20 Workers’ wages $150 The total cost of this initiative was $600 600 ÷ 63 = $9 Every one of those dollars is a loving heart and a shoulder we can lean on amid the ongoing blockade and starvation in Gaza, and the complete collapse of the hot meals that were being provided by the World Central Kitchen (WCK), on which more than one million people in Gaza depended. **** Today, I am cooking this meal in honor of Hossam’s soul, and as a reminder that the Israeli occupation was and still is killing innocent people like Hossam and his family, who devoted years of their lives to delivering aid to people. Hossam was a role model in this regard. But he has gone to his Lord, who is better and more generous than all of us. We ask Allah to accept him among the martyrs and the prophets in His Paradise. Ameen. ************* I may also publish a short additional update in the middle of the week as part of my September report. In it, I will provide a complete accounting of all the funds my wife and I received through the donation fund, including your subscription payments, and how those funds were spent on the meal project, workers, patients, education, emergency financial assistance, and the children’s event. For those who are interested, we truly appreciate your trust. Last month, you told us that there was no need for us to provide this kind of report, but I believe this is better,,, more accurate, transparent, and clear, and more comfortable and peaceful for both of us. We have also noticed that a large number of new supporters have joined us recently. By the way, thank you to everyone who has supported us and supported our community up to this moment. **** Here, we share with you some moments from our day, along with how this meal was prepared, as well as a short clip from yesterday’s children’s activity with Shahad, I hope you enjoy watching it. [https://hassanbadrsawi.substack.com/p/the-golden-pie-a-meal-carrying-the?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=5zl4si] Hassan

In our fourteenth week as part of Chef Hassan’s project to provide meat meals for families in need, and after calculating what we received from the latest transfer from the fund, which also includes the subscription payments that my wife and I receive from our communities on Substack, I prepared 63 food parcels, each containing a double sandwich from the Golden Pie meal. The ingredients for the Golden Pie meal are similar to those I used for the Thai-style sandwich dish I prepared last week. The only difference is in the way they are prepared. ************ Ingredients Used and the Cost of This Initiative Meat I used 8 kilograms of chicken breast, at a price of 35 shekels per kilogram. Total cost: $92 Vegetables and spices I used 2 kilograms of colored sweet peppers, whose price has dropped slightly this week. I also used one and a half pounds of onions, one pound of potatoes for frying, lemons, garlic, two cans of mushrooms, cheese, breadcrumbs for frying, cooking oil, tahini, spices, pickles, and ketchup. Total cost: $130 Fruit I used approximately 20 kilograms of apples and cactus pears. The price of apples has also santroza. Total cost: $70 Taboon bread sheets I used 70 loaves of bread. Total cost: $30 Cooking gas I used approximately 2 kilograms of cooking gas. There was a lot of frying involved, for the sandwiches, potatoes, and the meal itself. The price was 90 shekels for kilogram Total cost: $58 Transportation and delivery We usually bring our groceries from the city of Deir al-Balah, from a supermarket we deal with every week. Total cost: $50 Safety and hygiene supplies $10 Packaging $20 Workers’ wages $150 The total cost of this initiative was $600 600 ÷ 63 = $9 Every one of those dollars is a loving heart and a shoulder we can lean on amid the ongoing blockade and starvation in Gaza, and the complete collapse of the hot meals that were being provided by the World Central Kitchen (WCK), on which more than one million people in Gaza depended. **** Today, I am cooking this meal in honor of Hossam’s soul, and as a reminder that the Israeli occupation was and still is killing innocent people like Hossam and his family, who devoted years of their lives to delivering aid to people. Hossam was a role model in this regard. But he has gone to his Lord, who is better and more generous than all of us. We ask Allah to accept him among the martyrs and the prophets in His Paradise. Ameen. ************* I may also publish a short additional update in the middle of the week as part of my September report. In it, I will provide a complete accounting of all the funds my wife and I received through the donation fund, including your subscription payments, and how those funds were spent on the meal project, workers, patients, education, emergency financial assistance, and the children’s event. For those who are interested, we truly appreciate your trust. Last month, you told us that there was no need for us to provide this kind of report, but I believe this is better,,, more accurate, transparent, and clear, and more comfortable and peaceful for both of us. We have also noticed that a large number of new supporters have joined us recently. By the way, thank you to everyone who has supported us and supported our community up to this moment. **** Here, we share with you some moments from our day, along with how this meal was prepared, as well as a short clip from yesterday’s children’s activity with Shahad, I hope you enjoy watching it. [https://hassanbadrsawi.substack.com/p/the-golden-pie-a-meal-carrying-the?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=5zl4si] Hassan

Alhamdulillah, my mom’s surgery was successful, and we found the medication (the eye drops) available. The doctor reassured us, and everything is fine. Mama is home now, and her nurse is Shahad haha Shukran to everyone who has been part of helping her, even if it was simply through a heartfelt prayer. Shahad.

Artist Suleiman Mansour created a painting depicting hungry children, and we will feed hungry children for as long as we can. One month after Suleiman’s passing, we continue to feed the children and preserve the story. ******* Artist Suleiman Mansour died on August 25, 2026, at the age of 79, inside Al-Maqsed Hospital in East Jerusalem. He left us after a busy journey in which Arab plastic art enriched him, leaving behind an artistic legacy and creative experience that has contributed to documenting the visual memory and Palestinian cultural identity over generations. And today, I honored his memory with a simple meal that I shared with the children. My wife also honored his spirit by mourning his passing in several poems she wrote in our Arabic language. *************** Today, Friday, September 25, 2026 I woke up early. I was afraid that I would still be exhausted from the health issue and fever I had a few days ago, and that I might not be able to cook today. This is something I have become accustomed to, and so have my family and the people in my neighborhood, who have all come to expect these meals. But this time, I wanted to dedicate the meal to the children, and I chose this one because it is relatively easy to prepare and does not require too much effort. But even so, the effort that you are used to seeing in a short video that lasts only a few minutes is, in reality, the result of many hearts working together. It takes time and effort from all of us as a team. There is someone responsible for buying the ingredients and transporting them from the city to the village. Someone else is responsible for lighting the fire. Another person takes care of chopping the vegetables. Someone else cleans and marinates the chicken. And there are those who help me serve the food, pack the meals, and wrap the packages. And we must not forget the heroic children of the family, who take on the responsibility of distributing the food packages, carrying supplies or firewood to the house, and sometimes packing the fruit and dividing it into small bags. There is also the person who oversees the filming and puts the shots together with the music for this little video, and my beloved wife, who always helps me write my weekly articles. All of these hearts are working together now. They have all grown to love this collective work and become attached to it, and it has become part of our Friday routine here,,, a routine we share together under a genocide that will not leave us alone, and that is not over yet. In our thirteenth week as part of Chef Hassan’s project to provide meat meals for families in need, and after calculating what we received from the latest transfer to the fund, which also includes the subscription payments that my wife and I receive from our respective communities on Substack, I prepared 53 food packages, each containing two sandwiches made with a Thai-style dish. It consists of chicken or turkey breast with vegetables, a special blend of spices, and some specially prepared sauces. My plan was actually to prepare 60 packages, or even more if the quantity allowed. But this was the first time I had made this dish in such a large quantity, and it seems I underestimated the amount of ingredients I would need lol. Still, it was a good attempt,,, first, because it is a wonderfully delicious and filling dish, and second, because it helped me figure out the right quantities for next time. There were two types of sauce, both prepared using traditional handmade methods, and they really tasted wonderful. But in fact, I wasn’t the one who prepared these sauces. Chef Ahmed made and prepared them as part of a small donation for the children. *************** Ingredients Used and the Cost of This Initiative Meat I used 7 kilograms of chicken breast, at a price of 35 shekels per kilogram. Total cost: $80 Vegetables and Spices I used half a pound of bell peppers at a cost of 50 shekels. I also used one and a half pounds of onions, two cans of mushrooms, spices, pickles, and some small packets of ketchup, but I forgot to put them in. Lol. Total cost: $100 Fruit I used approximately 20 kilograms of apples and santroza. Total cost: $80 French Bread I bought 150 sandwich rolls at a price of 1 shekel per roll. Total cost: $50 Gas Used I used half a kilogram of cooking gas, with the price of gas in Gaza at 90 shekels per kilogram. Total cost: $15 Delivery We usually bring the groceries from the city of Deir al-Balah. Total cost: $50 Packaging $20 Protection and Hygiene $10 Workers’ Wages $100 Total Cost of This Initiative $500 $500 ÷ 53 = $9 per food package. So, you helped me provide each family with a nutritious and nourishing meal for just $9. **************** If you would like to donate $10 to help feed a family next week, you can contribute here, through this fund that we have relied on for the past two years, and which has helped many families and children throughout this time. Just $10 can become a warm, filling meal for a family who needs it. Thank you to everyone who has contributed, and to everyone who has helped keep this work going until today. Chef Hassan ❤️

The money has reached those who were meant to receive it, Alhamdulillah. ❤️ $300 for mama, Iman Hammad, to contribute toward the cost of her eye surgery. $200 for Islam Abu Jazar, a woman struggling to care for her family. Her children suffer from several illnesses and malnutrition, and her husband has heart disease. Actually, I woke up to find that your donations to this appeal had reached nearly $1,000. The remaining $500 will be allocated to me and other families, as well as the children’s event or the kitchen. Shukran for being there for them, and for never hesitating to reach out with love and generosity. And Shukran to everyone who came forward and made a donation here for mama, and to everyone who contributed, no matter how much they gave. And Shukran to everyone who has spoken to me about a monthly donation, and to everyone who has already set one up. I see you all, and I always pray for you. Rachel, Inga, Julie, Charles, Rena, Asmira, Deborah, Nina, Gladwyn, Colin, Geoffrey, Tal, Michael, and Talha… Your names are not just names on a list. You are part of this story, and part of the goodness that reaches people when they need it most. We love you from Gaza. ❤️ Salam and love, always. ❤️ Your Shahad.

We reached the goal within just a few minutes, Alhamdulillah. Instead of $300, we raised $400 or a little more. I will dedicate the extra $100 to helping this woman, whose appeal I shared here a month ago in this link. If you can help her raise another $100, that would be wonderful haha. She really needs $200 every month to cover the cost of her children’s treatment. (She contacted me again yesterday.) https://shahaddhlan.substack.com/p/a-mothers-voice-that-must-not-be?utm_source=direct&r=5zl4si&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer ... Sometimes, the most beautiful thing that can happen after we reach our own goal is to reach out and help someone else who is still waiting for their turn. And a special Shukran to everyone who rushed to contribute to this appeal for mama Shukran… mama will be able to undergo her surgery, and we are all filled with hope and happiness that she will finally be able to have it after such a long period of suffering and waiting, amid the complete collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system. And Shukran as well to @Palestine Will Be Free page, which always helps me share my urgent and important appeals and reach a wider audience, as well as to all the friends who shared them with their own communities. Your support and sharing truly make a difference, and I am grateful to you from the bottom of my heart. ❤️ .............. Regarding the latest payment notifications received by some families from a generous monthly donation from our friend Abu Alya: $100 for a girl named Hala, to buy stationery for Tawjihi, sent through her father Mohammed’s account. $100 for a girl named Yasmeen, also to buy stationery for Tawjihi, sent through her father Yousef’s account. £105 was donated by our friend Rossini to buy gifts for the children in my family and the children in the neighborhood. I added a few dollars to it to make it $150 or $170, and spent the entire amount on beautiful stationery gifts for kindergarten and early primary school students. As for the older children, Hassan preferred to bring them fruit juice.. They were distributed after a beautiful musical entertainment event we held yesterday. Another 200 shekels went to Majdi Al Modlal’s family to help with the treatment of their child Hassan, who needed an important and somewhat expensive medical examination that they could not fully afford. 100 shekels to Ahmed, the remaining balance of his account within the kitchen project. There are still two or three families on the emergency financial assistance list waiting for help. I also set aside a small gift for them for the beginning of the new school year, for their children. But the transfer system has stopped because we exceeded the allowed limit. We’ll wait a day or two until we’re allowed to make transfers again. Banking matters are a little complicated here. As for the rest of the money, we used it to prepare the groceries for tomorrow’s meal as part of Chef Hassan’s project to provide meat meals for families in need. Tomorrow’s meal will consist of around 60 to 70 food parcels. ... Umm.. I’m very distracted right now, and I feel like I’ve forgotten some of the payments. Anyway... There will be another complete accounting of all the payments and bank transfers we received this month, but at the end of the month, and only after both of us have reviewed and checked everything carefully. I’m writing this alone right now. Hassan is asleep haha.. He’s usually the one who helps me remember everything. I just wanted to let you know that the goal has been reached, and that your donations are reaching me, Hassan, and so many people around us.. our families, our neighbors, and even loved ones and friends, as well as strangers in Dair Al Balah and Khan Younis. And honestly, that alone is enough to make me feel a little bit of contentment and peace within myself. Shukran for understanding. Shukran for being close to us. I love you so much Wallah ❤️ Goodnight. Your Shahad.