Gaza Crisis Appeal

The situation in Gaza right now is catastrophic.  After weeks of intense bombing, an ongoing siege and a land offensive, an agreement has been reached for a four-day truce in Gaza.

ActionAid are now stepping-up our response in southern Gaza distributing relief items such as food, warm clothes and hygiene kits.

We are working with our partners in Gaza who are doing their utmost to provide food and relief items to families that we can reach, but access to supplies is limited and transportation to the shelters is challenging and dangerous for those who are working on the ground.  

We are ready to respond, ensuring the well-being of thousands who are without access to food, water, or shelter, while also prioritising the safety and protection of women and girls.

So, we’re asking for your continued financial support, which is now needed more than ever, to help us deliver aid in the coming days and weeks.

Please, give what you can now.

Gaza crisis appeal: how can I help?

Or choose your own amount to give

What is happening in Gaza right now?

Gaza is home to a population of two million people who have been living under constant bombardment, with little to no essential aid deliveries for almost a month. They are in urgent need of food, water, medicine and fuel.

Water supplies have reached a life-threatening low across Gaza amidst the sustained blockade on fuel, water, and food. 

Lack of water and the threat of waterborne diseases could cause a health catastrophe for hundreds of thousands of people and an alarming threat to the lives of pregnant and breastfeeding women and their newborn children.

Riham Jafari, Communication and Advocacy Coordinator at ActionAid in Palestine:

Many more people will die if hospitals in Gaza, overcrowded with casualties from the continuous bombing and airstrikes, don’t receive enough fuel, medical supplies and lifesaving aid.” 

What is ActionAid doing to help?

We are working with local partners in Gaza who are doing their utmost to provide food and relief items to families that they can reach, but access to supplies is limited and transportation to the shelters is challenging and dangerous for staff working on the ground.

In the West Bank our partners are supporting people who have been internally displaced from Gaza. We've distributed 700 dignity kits across various districts. These include vital items like toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, shaving gel, razors, wet wipes, deodorant, and personal towels.
In Gaza, despite the dire circumstances, our local partners, such as Al Awda Hospital, have persistently delivered vital services, while others like WEFAQ are providing support to the thousands who have been displaced and are seeking shelter.

We are urgently seeking funds both to address immediate needs and to prepare for the extensive requirements that will emerge once the siege is lifted.

When it is safe to do so, we must be prepared to respond promptly, ensuring the well-being of thousands who will be left without access to food, water, or shelter, while also prioritising the safety and protection of women and girls. Urgent financial support is crucial to prepare for this impending situation.

Is humanitarian aid getting through to Gaza?

Only very small amounts of aid are reaching Gaza through the Rafah crossing, far too little to meet people's needs.

ActionAid staff are procuring relief items including food, non-food essential items, hygiene and dignity kits for women and girls, and getting medical supplies ready to go.

The quantity of relief supplies we are able to supply - once we can deliver aid as soon as it is possible to do so safely - will largely depend on the amount of funds we’re able to raise.

Why we are not responding in Israel

The attacks committed on Israeli civilians were appalling. They have led to a spiral of violence affecting thousands of civilians across the region. ActionAid has called for an end to the violence and for the respect of international law which applies to all parties involved.

Our decision to respond in any crisis is always driven by humanitarian need— prioritising those people, in particular women and girls, most in need of assistance, whilst considering our ability and capacity and those of others, including states, to meet that need.

Even before this latest escalation, which is worsening on a daily basis, 80% of people living in Gaza relied on international aid following 16 years of blockade. Their coping capacities were stretched to the limit and beyond. Whilst there are humanitarian needs in Israel, our monitoring shows that the government and national and local aid organisations there are able to respond to these needs.

As a result, at this time our immediate focus is on responding to urgent unmet needs in Gaza and other affected parts of the occupied Palestinian territory. We continue to review this as the situation evolves.

ActionAid UK's chief executive, Halima Begum said:

Women and children are in critical need of safe shelter. While families want to return home, many have seen their houses completely destroyed and we have far too many vulnerable people still living in exposed spaces, without either security or protection.

The trauma and fear associated with the earthquake is also a huge impediment to the safe return of families. People here have experienced unimaginable tragedy and loss. Any recovery plan must include emotional support to help those affected by this disaster retrieve some degree of normality in their lives.

Of course, women and girls have very particular needs in emergencies that are far too often overlooked or forgotten, and we’re seeing this in Morocco now. In particular, access to period products and underwear is essential.

Much of the emergency response so far has focussed on food and temporary shelter, which are of course important. But the provision of period products would go a long way to help restore the dignity of women and girls still living in rudimentary and temporary shelters."

About ActionAid

ActionAid is an international charity that works with women and girls living in poverty.

Our dedicated local staff are changing the world with women and girls. We are ending violence and fighting poverty so that all women, everywhere, can create the future they want.

We operate in rural and urban communities across Asia, Africa and Latin America.

We're committed to ending the cycle of violence in communities around the world, enabling women's economic empowerment, and supporting women's and girls' rights during humanitarian crises.

Where your money goes

90% of your donation will go directly to ActionAid's Gaza Crisis Appeal.

10% of your donation will be retained for ActionAid’s Emergency Action Fund which will only be used for ensuring we are prepared and able to respond quickly and more effectively to future emergencies and crises.

If the total amount raised for this appeal exceeds the funds needed for the response, ActionAid will transfer the remaining balance to the Emergency Action Fund. All Gift Aid claimed on donations will fund ActionAid’s work across the world, wherever the need is greatest.