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Palestinians in Gaza are being bombed, starved and forced into ever-shrinking areas as the humanitarian crisis intensifies.
October marked 2 years since Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza began. While a ceasefire that same month brought hope, it is rapidly fading as commitments are broken on a daily basis and Israel continues to kill Palestinians and block humanitarian aid.
More than 71,000 people have been killed – including some 20,000 children – and over 171,000 injured since the onslaught began.
Life in Gaza today is clouded by danger and uncertainty. Children are starving to death in a man-made famine and, each day, more civilians are massacred. The Israeli blockade traps families in a daily struggle to get food, medicine, shelter, water – everything they need to survive.
The situation is extremely terrifying. I am writing these words and my house is shaking back and forth due to the intense bombing…As an adult who have lived tens of escalation in the last years, I feel terrified. I feel this time we might not be able to survive…The airstrikes are destroying everything. I can’t imagine Gaza after this ends and we survive. I can’t think of the destruction that we will see.
an Islamic Relief aid worker in Gaza
As conditions rapidly deteriorate amid this latest escalation in hostilities, Islamic Relief remains steadfast in our determination to assist Palestinian families. Working closely with our local partners, we are preparing our humanitarian response, which is likely to initially focus on distributing medical supplies and survival items.
Islamic Relief has been working in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since 1997, providing a lifeline to communities struggling with the devastating effects of the Israeli occupation, blockade and recurring violence.
Built over almost 30 years, our track record means we’re trusted by Palestinian communities.
Despite the huge dangers and challenges, our staff and local partners have been on the ground delivering emergency aid throughout the current crisis.
Since October 2023, we have provided over £51 million worth of aid and helped over 600,000 people – including by distributing over 70 million hot meals to displaced families as well as clean water, healthcare, education and psychosocial support.
We have rapidly expanded our Orphan Sponsorship Programme to reach more vulnerable families with a monthly stipend. Prior to October 2023, Islamic Relief supported 7,200 orphaned children in Gaza. That number has now risen to over 21,000, but thousands more are in dire need of sponsorship.
The tightening of the Israeli blockade means that since April we – like all aid agencies in Gaza – have had to reduce or suspend some vital services. But we continue other lifesaving aid, such as running maternal care services for more than 1,300 pregnant women and newborn babies, and cleaning shelters for displaced families to help stop the spread of disease.
We also continue to provide clean drinking water to displaced families, and wherever possible we are distributing hot meals. We stand ready to scale up our efforts to support Palestinians in desperate need.
With your support, Islamic Relief will remain a lifeline for Palestinian families. Please give generously to our Palestine Emergency Appeal now.
Medical items distributed
Families received food parcels
Families received food vouchers
Families received fresh vegetable packages
Families received ready-to-eat meals
People received clean water
Families received hygiene kits
Shelters received hygiene items
Children received psychosocial support
The situation in Palestine is unbearable for many. Gaza has been described as an “open-air prison”. Conditions in Gaza were dire even before the recent escalations in conflict, with occupation, blockade and recurring conflict causing deep poverty and suffering.
80% of the population are dependent on humanitarian assistance to survive.
The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated places on Earth. It has a population of approximately 2.1 million people and since 2007 it has been under a land, sea and air blockade imposed by Israel. Ongoing power shortages impact essential services like health, water and sanitation leaving people desperate.
The blockade has sealed off Gaza from the rest of the world, crippling the economy and trapping residents – including a generation of young people who have no hope of prospects for development.
Fear and lack of hope for the future have become the norm among young people in Gaza. We call on all actors to ensure that the protection of Palestinian youth be made a primary consideration, and the reassertion of the principles of protection are derived from the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and the International human rights law (IHRL). We call on all actors to ensure the need for safety and security for young people to cross borders to access livelihoods.
In a few months, I will be completing high school. I am afraid that I will not get good grades, or that I might not even be able to complete my studies.
I am one of the distinguished students, but I still need supplementary lessons in some subjects because the curriculum is difficult. However, our economic situation does not allow for this as my father cannot pay the fees for the supplementary lessons.
My dream is to graduate from university and specialise in social work, because I would like to help others, especially the young people.
Sometimes I feel despair and frustration, and I’m very worried about not being able to understand the lessons or get supplementary lessons.
What makes everything more difficult is that we are learning online because of the coronavirus pandemic. Not being in school means that I will not have the opportunity to ask teachers questions about things I do not understand.
Studying online has been very difficult for me because you need to have a laptop or mobile phone to follow the lessons, but we cannot afford these.
Even if I had those, I would need internet and electricity, but the electricity is often cut off. This is the case now after the bombing began.
We were supposed to do the final exams for the eleventh grade after the blessed month of Ramadan, but the bombing came, which lasted for 11 days. The situation was very difficult and like the rest of my family, I was very afraid.
It was difficult to concentrate on my studies when I heard explosions all around me.
I lost my cousin in the bombing. I feel a lot of sadness now, and I don’t know how I will continue my life without him. We used to play and were always going out together.
Many of my friends’ homes were destroyed during the bombing, and I always wonder how they will continue their education.
Although I dream of completing my education, what worries me the most is that when I graduate from university, I will not be able to find a job opportunity that will help me improve my family’s condition and help build my future. I am afraid that I will sit at home like thousands of other graduates right now.
HELP YOUNG PEOPLE LIKE MOHAMMAD’S KEEP THEIR DREAM ALIVE. DONATE TODAY.
As Palestinian families in Gaza continue to suffer, Islamic Relief is calling on supporters to demand world leaders act urgently to ensure the ceasefire is upheld, and pressure Israel to stop killing civilians, end its illegal blockade and allow full unimpeded humanitarian access.
Your donations are helping to ease suffering, but the people of Gaza need more than aid.
Last year, the International Court of Justice ordered action to prevent genocide in Gaza, finding it plausible that such a risk exists. Yet the Court’s ruling continues to be ignored. World leaders and international governments have a moral and legal responsibility to act to prevent genocide.
While we continue to call for action, help Islamic Relief to continue supporting people in desperate need in Gaza.
Since we have begun working in Palestine, we have been able to:
This is only possible with your ongoing support. Your generous donations are having a life-saving impact.
Islamic Relief began working in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in 1997, providing life-saving emergency aid and crucial nutritional, educational and psychosocial support to families in the region.
Our teams are providing emergency medical assistance, bedding, food vouchers and other essential aid to displaced families and those most in need.
Islamic Relief is calling for international aid to support rebuilding damaged infrastructure, strengthening health and electricity networks and providing psychosocial support.
Islamic Relief strongly condemns all violence against civilians – including the most recent loss of lives. All Palestinians and Israelis, regardless of religion or ethnicity, have the right to live in safety and dignity, and to have their fundamental human rights upheld. We are calling for an immediate end to the escalating violence as any further escalation will inevitably increase civilian casualties. Islamic Relief calls on world leaders to step up efforts to prevent any further escalation of violence, but also to demand an end to the occupation and work towards a just and lasting peace agreement.