It has been six months since Israel started its military action in Gaza, and the humanitarian situation in Gaza is more catastrophic than ever.
Nearly all of Gaza’s civilian population are facing acute levels of food insecurity and are now reliant on humanitarian aid for survival.
Through months of intense bombing, an ongoing siege and a land offensive, more than 34,000 people have now been killed, of whom more than 14,000 are children and at least 10,000 women, including 6000 mothers.
Nearly 77,000 people have been injured and up to 1.9 million people, over 85% of the population, are estimated to be internally displaced from their homes.
The health system has collapsed in Gaza, with only 11 out of 37 hospitals currently functional, albeit partially, and outbreak of disease such as diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections threatens more lives. Over 350,000 people are now suffering from chronic diseases in Gaza.
There have been over 400 attacks on health facilities or personnel across Gaza in six months of conflict – equivalent to 73 attacks per month.
Aid convoys have been denied or impeded by Israeli authorities and those entering Gaza are not enough to meet the humanitarian needs of over 2.3 million people.
ActionAid is working with local partners to deliver food and cash assistance to families in Gaza.
We urgently need your support to address immediate needs but also to prepare for the long-term requirements that will emerge.
When it is safe to do so, we must be prepared to respond promptly, ensuring the well-being of thousands who have been left without access to food, water, or shelter.
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 over two million people who have been living under constant bombardment, with little to no essential aid deliveries for months. They are in urgent need of food, water, medicine and fuel.
Lack of shelter, food, water and the threat of waterborne diseases is causing 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:
There can be no delay. The level of humanitarian need is already overwhelming and growing by the day – only a permanent ceasefire will allow for the killing of civilians to stop and aid on anything like the scale required to enter Gaza and reach those who need it.”
What is ActionAid doing to help?
ActionAid are working with our partners in Gaza who are doing their utmost to provide food, cash 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.
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.
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We have reached 162,498 people in total directly with humanitarian relief in Gaza. This number is expected to rise on a continuous basis following ongoing data collection with partners.
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60,000 people have been given health or medical support at Al Nuseirat hospital and in Rafah.
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Nearly 59,000 people have been reached in total with food including 11,200 people who have received hot meals, 1,650 received food parcels and 1,740 were provided with wheat in Rafah and Al Nuseirat.
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20,000 people have been provided with water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services such as latrine facilities in Rafah.
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6,750 people have received non-food items including 3,750 people who have received hygiene kits and 2,000 others supported with clothing in Rafah and Al Nuseirat.
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5,500 children had access to education through Hope festivals in Rafah led by the humanitarian youth groups in Gaza.
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2,000 people have been provided with shelter support - 1,000 in Al Mawasi and 1,000 in Rafah.
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1,850 women and children have been supported with protection services including interactive and wellbeing activities for children, and hotlines for women in Rafah and Khan Younis.
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Over 1,000 families have received cash in all of Gaza.
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In the West Bank our partners are supporting people who have been internally displaced from Gaza. We've distributed dignity and winterisation kits across various districts. These include vital items like toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, shaving gel, razors, wet wipes, deodorant, and towels.
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 have been 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 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.
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.
Page updated 30 April 2024
