Bridgeview Al Aqsa School holds solidarity walk to raise awareness of Gaza humanitarian crisis

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (WLS) -- A south suburban school held a walk of solidarity on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People Wednesday.

Kids of all ages at the Al Aqsa School in Bridgeview used their spirit week to send a message and raise money for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

"For many of our children and students, this is the first major conflict they've had to become intimately aware of," Al Aqsa School principal Tammie Ismail said.

The school has students from Kindergarten through 12th grade. They walked together with signs on their chest, symbolizing who they walked for.

MedGlobal has been sending doctors from the U.S. to Gaza in an effort to help innocent lives. Some of those doctors talked to the students about what they've seen in the hospitals.

"They've been struggling a lot," said Dr. Thaer Ahmad with MedGlobal. 'And so an event like this is really important and very special."

Many parents have been trying to figure out how to educate young kids on the war overseas.

The school hopes to use events like this to give the students a voice.

"A few students said they felt hopeless and that's something you ever wanna hear a child say," Ismail said. "These opportunities where they feel empowered, where they can write to a congressman and say, 'please let's have a ceasefire.'"

The Refugee Life Foundation hopes to raise more than half a million dollars through walks like this and others happening across the world. Foundation chairman Rush Darwish spoke about the initiative, hoping to send a message of peace.

"We know there's a lot of politics, but right now we're focused on the humanitarian crisis that's happening in Gaza where thousands of children have been killed," Darwish said. "We are showing love for people who really need medical help and that's how you take on hate."