A Newcastle aid worker set sail on 18 September as part of an international flotilla bound for Gaza, aiming to deliver humanitarian aid and shine a spotlight on the blockade of the territory.
Ruhi Akhtar, founder of grassroots charity Refugee Biriyani & Bananas, boarded the Global Sumud Flotilla on Thursday morning. The convoy brings together humanitarians and campaigners from across the world, with the mission of drawing attention to shortages of food, medicine and other essentials in Gaza.
Her uncle, former Lord Mayor of Newcastle and Independent councillor Habib Rahman, said the family was both proud and concerned.
“I am extremely proud of my niece, Ruhi. Her courageous decision to join the flotilla demonstrates her unwavering commitment to justice and humanity. While I am concerned for her safety and the safety of all involved, I fully support her and stand in solidarity with their mission. World leaders must act to end the suffering of innocent Palestinians and allow vital aid to reach those in desperate need.”
From NHS to frontline aid work
Akhtar, who was born in Northumberland to Bangladeshi parents and now lives in Newcastle, left her NHS career as a lower-limb specialist in 2015 after being deeply moved by the image of Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy who drowned while fleeing conflict.
“That moment changed everything,” she has said of the photograph, which became a global symbol of the refugee crisis. Within months, she was travelling to Greece to deliver aid directly to families living in camps.
What began with her family cooking biriyani in Newcastle and buying bananas enroute to distribute to refugees became the foundation of Refugee Biriyani & Bananas. Ten years on, the charity has provided thousands of food parcels, clothing bundles and survival packs in camps across Greece, Gaza and Lebanon.
Community-led and dignity-driven
The organisation is proudly female-led and community-driven, with many volunteers themselves displaced or from conflict-affected backgrounds. Its ethos centres on dignity, ensuring that those receiving aid are respected as equals rather than treated as passive recipients.
Akhtar’s work has often taken her into places overlooked by larger organisations, from informal camps in northern Greece to bomb-damaged neighbourhoods in Gaza. Supporters in the North East have regularly organised fundraising events, making her efforts both a global and a local story.
‘Silence is not an option’
Ahead of her departure, Akhtar explained why she felt compelled to take on the risks of joining the flotilla.
“I am joining the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza because silence in the face of injustice is not an option. For too long, Palestinians have been denied their basic rights, including access to food, water, their land, basic safety and freedom of movement.”
She described the flotilla as “an act of solidarity, a reminder that the world is watching, and that we will continue to stand with the people of Gaza until they are free because none of us are free until Palestine is free.”
Risks at sea
Previous flotillas attempting to reach Gaza have faced interception, and organisers acknowledge the dangers. But participants say the risks are outweighed by the need to keep the humanitarian crisis on the international agenda.
For her family in Newcastle, those risks are never far from mind. But Rahman said his niece’s mission reflects the city’s long tradition of international solidarity.
“Our communities in Newcastle know the importance of standing up for justice,” he said. “Ruhi is carrying that spirit with her.”
About the charity
Refugee Biriyani & Bananas, the charity Akhtar founded in 2015, continues to operate on modest donations from individuals and community groups in the North East. Despite its small scale, it has built a reputation for delivering aid quickly and effectively in areas that are difficult to reach.
For Akhtar, the work is about more than parcels of food or clothing. It is about reminding displaced families that they are not forgotten, even when the world seems to have turned away. That conviction is what drives her now across dangerous waters towards Gaza carrying with her not just supplies, but also a message of solidarity from Newcastle to Palestine: that their struggle has not gone unheard.
