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Gaza is the deadliest place in the world to be a child.
Over the past year, since the deadly attacks on Israel last October, tens of thousands of women, men and children in Gaza have been killed or seriously injured as a result of unprecedented and lethal war. The destruction is on an unimaginable scale. The violence has, this week, escalated in Lebanon with 90,000 people having fled airstrikes and seeking safety. We are responding as quickly as possible to the unfolding need.
We've joined with other leading Irish aid agencies to create a united response through the *Irish Emergency Alliance. We’re appealing for your help to provide life-saving food, water, shelter and healthcare now.
Mohamed Abuhashem works for the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, one of our valued partners in Gaza, and describes the destruction – 'Rafah is under heavy fire every day. Life and death have become two sides of the same coin. Those living in tents are the most vulnerable as they face the hazard of falling debris.'
I wake up to the sound of drones buzzing overhead, fearful that they might open fire. We pray for this nightmare to end, then try to go back to sleep.
Every prayer, every gift, every action brings hope to people in crisis
No one can forget 7 October 2023 when Hamas launched a devastating attack. 1,200 Israelis were killed and 5,431 injured. Israeli civilians, many of them women and children, were forcibly taken and many have never returned home.
The international community has failed to step in, hold all sides to account and work to ensure a peace that secures justice, dignity and prosperity for all.
Many people have also been displaced from their homes and are now facing extreme hunger and disease. Civilians have borne the brunt of this violence.
'A large portion of the population only eats one meal a day. Most people rely on canned food provided by humanitarian organisations,' said Abed Alhalim Abu Samra, who also works for the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.
The lack of food is taking a severe toll on people’s health, explains Mohamed.
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The impact of the devastation and continued violence upon children is severe. 16 year old Hala Abu Saleem lives in the central Gaza strip:
‘I pack my bag, but not with schoolbooks. I pack a few clothes, ready for another expected displacement.’
Life is a constant worry for her now.
‘I clean the house and try to pass the time by reading old books. But I can’t find the same joy in reading anymore. After three or four pages, anxiety and fear overwhelm me,’ says Hala.
Our response so far with your help
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€2.6m
€2.6 million raised to help our partners in Gaza.
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800,000
Together with our partners, we have helped over 800,000 people.
Men, women and children have received medicine and healthcare, shelter, and vital food. Families which have fled their homes have had a place to stay. Mothers have been given essential nappies for their babies and emotional support to cope with the trauma. Children, including those with disabilities, have been supported with emotional support, physiotherapy – and fun activities so vital in coping with the challenges of living in a war zone. And so much more.
The needs are still great
With supplies of essentials running perilously low, and violence threatening to grow, we urgently need a donation from you.
With huge numbers fleeing the south of Lebanon and making their way to Beirut and further north, Christian Aid and its local partners are looking to re-allocate already overstretched resources to help these new waves of displaced people. We will seek to support those arriving at shelters in need of food and essentials, as well as supporting emergency medical services and primary health centres at risk of being overwhelmed by the numbers injured.
Please donate what you can today.
What is Christian Aid doing in Gaza
Our partner, the Agricultural Development Association (PARC), told us: ‘The needs of the people here are very high, and we are working tirelessly to support them … When we deliver this food for those people, many of them are in tears, and they have told us that this is the only thing they have received in months.’
We already have established partners who can take your support to where it’s needed most – something they’re already doing under intense pressure and dangerous conditions. We’re calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire to stop further loss of life, limit this humanitarian catastrophe – and to safely enable our partners to respond to as many people as possible.
Your support will help to provide life-saving supplies to innocent civilians caught up in this conflict.
If conflict escalates across the Middle East, and the humanitarian situation worsens, we’ll direct our resources to send support to where it’s needed most. By acting together now, we can help people to survive and go on to rebuild their lives, in what we pray will be a peaceful future.
Every prayer, every gift, every action brings hope to people in Gaza. With the support and prayers of our supporters, Christian Aid can and will reach more people with the support they need.
But a sustainable peace is not possible until the occupation of Gaza, and the West Bank, is ended and Palestinians and Israelis are treated as equals. We are calling and praying for a permanent ceasefire.
Together, we must do all we can to protect the lives of our global neighbours. They need us right now, more than ever.
*The Irish Emergency Alliance is a coalition of Irish international aid charities that come together to respond to the world’s worst emergencies and natural disasters by providing fast and efficient humanitarian assistance to those most in need. The member agencies - ActionAid, Christian Aid, Plan International, Self-Help Africa, Tearfund Ireland, Trócaire and World Vision - have programmes in 85 different countries, giving the Irish Emergency Alliance the global presence necessary to respond quickly to a crisis. The Irish Emergency Alliance launched its first appeal in September 2020 in response to the global coronavirus crisis.