“This afternoon the bombing started again and I heard intense bombing around the city.”
Muneeb Abu-Ghazaleh, Islamic Relief Country Director in Gaza
“The streets are otherwise eerily empty as people are terrified of what the next hours and days will bring. Banks, businesses and schools are shut and the crossings with Israel are closed so no goods or people are coming in or out.
“We’ve already seen children killed and lose their parents over the past 24 hours and we know from previous escalations that when bombing increases it is overwhelmingly civilians who are killed, injured and forced to flee their homes. In the last major bombing campaign 2 years ago, more than a quarter of all casualties were children and thousands of homes, hospitals, schools and health centres were bombed.
“It’s vital that the international community applies pressure to stop the crisis escalating further. Israeli authorities must ensure that civilians and civilian infrastructure are protected from attack, in accordance with international humanitarian law.”
Islamic Relief condemns all violence against civilians and calls for an end to the decades-long Israeli blockade of Gaza. Cutting the region off from the rest of the world, the blockade has fuelled high levels of poverty and unemployment and has crippled essential services such as healthcare, electricity and water. In Gaza a staggering 1.3 million people need humanitarian aid, with many unable to adequately feed themselves or their children.
Our teams on the ground are currently preparing to respond by working through local partners to provide urgently needed medical supplies, as well as food provision, and ready-to-eat meals for displaced families.
Donate now and help save lives.
The latest attack on Gaza caused devastation on a scale not seen since 2014. As a result, 230 people were killed including 63 children, 1,900 people injured, and nearly 60,000 people left homeless.
The people of Gaza are having to deal with continuous nights of airstrikes due to ongoing conflict. Now is the time to help Gaza and its people.
After many years of conflict, Palestinians still feel unsafe in their own country. The economy has been damaged by political instability and constant conflict. The blockades in Gaza cause chaos on a daily basis. We’re providing vital health care to help vulnerable people rebuild their lives.
A third of the people in Palestine live below the poverty line. Thousands of families are struggling with financial hardship. Your donations can provide life-saving support. Donate now and help save lives.
Image: Aftermath of airstrikes in Gaza, Palestine
Since 2007, Gaza has been under a land, sea and air blockade imposed by Israel. 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.
60% of children are anaemic and many children suffer from stunted growth due to malnutrition.
Islamic Relief has been working in Gaza since 1997. We’ve been providing vital support to vulnerable people through donations towards our Gaza relief fund. Our work is focused on getting food to those who need it most, and treating urgent health needs.
Your support for Gaza will help our teams to deliver vital medical supplies to patients and staff. We also provide key items; such as medicine, disposables, medical kits and food for all.
Since 1997 Islamic Relief has invested almost £109 million in humanitarian and development programmes to support the Palestinian people.
Image: Islamic Relief Gaza team distributing emergency aid such as blankets, mattresses, food and fuel to families affected by the winter storms in Gaza
Our focus is now on priority health needs; such as the provision of medical supplies and equipment including medicines, disposable items, medical kits and food for patients and medical staff.
Should the conflict get worse and people become displaced, we will be supporting affected households and internally displaced people. We’ll provide food, hygiene kits and other essential non-food items.
Across the region, we’ve been heavily involved in the reconstruction of the Palestine Avenir Centre, working with children living with disabilities such as cerebral palsy. Now we are working to support the local health care system.
We’re ready to respond by supporting hospitals deliver medical help quickly in order to help save as many lives as possible should any further emergency erupt.
By supporting both medical staff and households across Gaza, we’re working to support as many people in crisis as possible.
Even though the conflict is ongoing, our teams are on the ground ready to help Gaza now. We will provide lifesaving care in areas where the health system is struggling to cope. Gaza’s health system is under a lot of pressure because of staff shortages and lack of medical supplies.
Around half of the people living in Palestine are in need of vital aid and water. Despite electricity shortages across Gaza, we’re working to support the people in need across the region.
For just £150 you can provide psychosocial support to 6 children affect by conflict. Donate towards our Gaza relief fund and help save lives now.
With almost half the population across the Palestinian Territories in need of humanitarian aid, your donations are desperately needed to help rebuild the lives of those most vulnerable across Gaza. Mohammed is just one of the many people Islamic Relief supports in Gaza, however thousands more are in desperate need of your support.
I have lived with loss several times in my life. My dad passed away and I lost my sight when I was young. But I never lost my resolve or let my disability prevent me from developing myself or my community. I don’t ask others for help if I can do something myself. Every morning I make my own food and prepare for school like my sisters and brothers. When I want to hail a taxi, I try several times before asking someone to assist. Once a week I play football. Thank Allah, I am one of the top students at my school and I get the highest grades. I adore the Arabic language and that encourages me to write. Recently I got first class in a story-writing and poetry competition at the Gaza governorate level. After the death of my father, Islamic Relief sponsored me. The support pays for my basic needs, covering the cost of transport and everything I need for school.