A fruit salesman from southern Egypt, who threw oranges at a moving humanitarian aid truck heading to the Gaza Strip, is currently in Makkah in Saudi Arabia, undertaking the Haj pilgrimage, which commenced on Friday, June 14.
The 53-year-old Al-Fakhani Rabie Hussein, known as ‘Uncle Rabie’, has been rewarded with a once-in-a-lifetime spiritual journey for his simple act by an Egyptian businessman who bore the pilgrimage cost.
Social media users shared several photos of Rabie performing Haj rituals in the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.
In February this year, a video clip widely circulated on social media showed Uncle Rabie in a rush to throw the oranges he sells on the backs of the trucks heading to the Rafah border crossing.
Watch the video here
Why did Rabie throw oranges at aid trucks?
In an interview with Al Jazeera Mubasher, 53-year-old Rabie said, “My heart is with the Palestinians in Gaza. I wish them to live in safety and security. As we sleep well, we wish them to sleep well. As we live happily, we wish them to live happily.”
He added that he did it spontaneously and without thinking, recalling a scene of Palestinians being forced to eat rotten sweet potatoes due to food scarcity.
In another interview with Cairo24, Rabie expressed concern for the starving people in Gaza and expressed readiness to sacrifice himself for the Palestinian cause, stating he is not the only Egyptian ready to help.
