German cyclist rides 3,000km to raise funds for Gaza healthcare centre

Abed Rahman, a determined cyclist from Germany, has set out on an extraordinary journey to raise funds for a healthcare centre in Gaza. 

The centre, staffed by 10 dedicated doctors, provides vital medical services to the war-torn community, including treatment for diabetes, cancer, and injuries from Israeli bombings that have been ravaging Gaza for almost ten months.

Abed's cycle ride will span several weeks and cover over 3,000 kilometres, taking him through difficult terrain. 

"What we can is, we can't do [more] much than raising funds. We can't do much [more] than trying to convince people to stand up for humanity. There's not a lot we can do. So I thought, I have to do action and it's within raising funds," the cyclist said while talking to Middle East Monitor.

He believes that the difficult journey is a fitting metaphor for the uphill battle faced by the people of Gaza.

"It was an idea that I had way before the situation started in Gaza. But, when the situation started, it was extremely hard for me to take the decision to do it because you have feeling like, now you are living on again. No you are having fun. Now you are getting to go out around the world again. And I would never have imagined that I could have done something like this again, when I was sleeping in the nights in Gaza, waiting for some sunlight to end the madness, to end the bombing around you."

Abed and his mother were in Gaza last year to attend a relative's wedding when Israel started its military offensive in the coastal enclave.

Through his journey, Abed aims to raise crucial funds for the healthcare centre, ensuring that the people of Gaza continue to receive the medical care they so desperately need.

Over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, 2023, mostly women and children, and over 91,700 have been injured.

More than 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.