Struggling civilians once more face the horror of major airstrikes, with a rapidly rising death toll and hundreds of thousands of people displaced with nowhere safe to go, worsening the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
At least 37,124 Palestinians have been killed and more than 84,712 injured. This number is expected to increase rapidly as airstrikes continue. More than 40% of deaths are children.
In the Westbank, over 330 have been killed and at least 2,750 injured.
The tightening of Israel’s siege of Gaza – cutting off supplies of food, medicine, fuel, and aid – represents collective punishment of all 2.2 million people living in Gaza, around half of whom are children.
As Israeli attacks intensify on Rafah, the humanitarian response is on the verge of collapse. The latest Israeli attacks on a refugee camp near UN aid facilities in Rafah killed dozens of people, including children, and injured many more.
In southern Gaza, the flow of aid has been completely cut off since Israel began its full invasion on May 6. Announcements of additional crossing points and aid initiatives, including the new ‘floating dock’, have given an illusion of improvement.
Although our teams in Gaza are in midst of the crisis themselves Alhamdulillah they have been able to:
The feeling of betrayal and being let down is taking over everyone in Gaza. We are exhausted and praying that the world will end this nightmare, but still there is no end in sight. Our destruction will go on for another round. We have to keep suffering and living this pain. - an Islamic Relief aid worker in Gaza.
Islamic Relief has been working with local partners across Gaza and the wider Middle East region to ensure we can procure and distribute as much aid as we can.
We are working with UN agencies such as the World Food Programme, who are bringing in some food via the Kerem Shalom crossing which we then distribute. Through a number of additional trucks, we have also been able to bring in and deliver vital hygiene, medical and personal items. This included warm winter clothing, feminine hygiene products and children’s nappies.
Items such as blankets and hygiene kits have been brought in through the Rafah crossing, and we are constantly trying to get more in.
Despite the huge challenges, our team in Gaza and our local partners are delivering aid every day. So far, we’ve cooked over 16.6 million ready-to-eat meals for displaced families in the overcrowded shelters.
We desperately need more aid to get into Gaza, alongside a permanent ceasefire. Only an estimated 10% of the required food aid is getting in. There has been little improvement, with the amount of aid coming in remaining just a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed.
Please keep the people of Palestine and our staff in your duas so that we can continue saving lives in Gaza.
⛑️ £60 Can provide emergency medicines and medical supplies
📦£120 Can provide 30 people with two ready-to-eat meals per day
£300 Can provide psychosocial support sessions to children in Gaza
* Charities pay a small fee for our service. Find out how much it is and what we do for it.
