2023-11-07 12:21:11
Palestinian children receive food in the Khan Yunis refugee camp, which is run by UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Middle East).Image: keystone
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic and aid on site is extremely difficult. How local organizations can still help and where you can donate directly to the people in the Gaza Strip.
07.11.2023, 11:1407.11.2023, 11:16
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The people of Gaza lack everything: food, water, medicine, fuel, a roof over their heads. Supplies to the densely populated coastal area were cut off after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered the “total isolation” of the Gaza Strip on October 9th. This was preceded by the terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas on Israel on October 7th, in which a total of 1,400 people were killed. Since then, Israel has been bombing the Gaza Strip every day. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, 10,022 Palestinians have been killed since the war began.
Why humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip is currently so difficult, how aid organizations can still offer support and how you can help.
Catastrophic humanitarian situation
After October 9, the Gaza Strip was completely isolated for 10 days. It was only on October 19 that Egypt agreed to open the border to Gaza for aid deliveries, which Israel agreed to. At this point, 170 trucks with relief supplies were already piled up at the Egyptian border in the very south of Gaza. On October 21st, the first trucks finally rolled across the Egyptian border into Gaza. By November 7th, a total of 569 trucks had brought urgently needed relief supplies across the border.
This slow trickle of help is “completely inadequate,” complained the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres. For comparison: Before the conflict escalated again, they reached Gaza daily 400 – 500 trucks with relief supplies. This amount is necessary to supply the 2.3 million population with basic goods such as bread and water.
Some of the largest hospitals are in northern Gaza.
Another problem currently is that the trucks cannot reach northern Gaza. The aid is therefore mainly concentrated on the south of the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Israel repeatedly calls on people in the north to evacuate to the south. The distance could be covered by car in about an hour, but many do not have the necessary fuel. The march would take over nine hours on foot. Given the lack of drinking water, the lack of food and the hundreds of injured people who are currently being cared for in the north, this is an impossible task.
How organizations help
It remains difficult for aid organizations to provide support in the Gaza Strip. Doctors Without Borders writes on theirs website:
“Due to the ongoing fighting, the insufficient aid deliveries and the evacuation order, our work is severely restricted. We are currently not in a position to carry out operations in a coordinated manner.”
Of the approximately 300 Palestinian employees, some families went to the south, while others continued to treat patients in the north. Just a few days ago, an ambulance in front of Al Shifa Hospital was directly hit by a rocket.
“We were standing inside the hospital gate when the ambulance was directly hit in front of us. There were bloody bodies everywhere. Many were killed immediately, while we rushed others to the operating room for emergency care,” says Dr Obaid, MSF doctor at Al Shifa hospital. pic.twitter.com/ZUL7dsSvkT
— Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (@MSF_canada) November 4, 2023
Doctors Without Borders accepts donations for emergency medical aid here However, there is no separate fund for the Gaza Strip.
Various aid organizations search in vain for a specific collection campaign for the Gaza Strip. First of all, also at Glückskette, which finances aid projects run by accredited Swiss aid organizations. As Fabian Emmenegger, spokesman for Swiss Solidarity, told the Swiss newspaper on October 21st NZZ on Sunday explained that the criteria for such a campaign were not met. It was not possible to ensure that the donations collected could be used as aid in a timely manner.
On November 2nd, they called for solidarity for those affected by the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East and set up a corresponding fund. As they reported, They had managed to bring humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in the past few days. For example, on October 29th, the first truck from the partner aid organization “Save the Children” arrived in Gaza with 45,000 water bottles. Other partner aid organizations such as cfd (Christian Peace Service) and HEKS (Relief Organization of the Evangelical Churches of Switzerland) have succeeded in distributing financial support to affected families.
If you donate to Swiss Solidarity, you do not have a 100 percent guarantee that the money donated will go to the Gaza Strip for the “Humanitarian Crisis in the Middle East”. Glückskette writes:
“The need for humanitarian aid is currently primarily in the Gaza Strip, but an escalation of the conflict in the region cannot be ruled out and our Swiss partner organizations are ready to provide assistance in other countries if necessary.”
You can donate here.
These donations go directly to the Gaza Strip
The following organizations have established specific collection operations for the Gaza Strip. The money should therefore flow directly into local aid.
WITCH
The HEKS was able to provide initial emergency aid measures in collaboration with international aid organizations. In Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip, over 20,000 internally displaced people were supported with food packages. Other people who have fled to the south are receiving cash to provide them with the essentials. In Egypt, HEKS is currently preparing to bring relief supplies to Gaza via the Rafah border crossing.
HEKS has one Call for donations with the title Emergency Aid Israel/Palestine.
You can donate here.
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
On October 27, a team of war surgeons and weapons contamination specialists arrived in Gaza in six IRKR trucks with urgently needed medical supplies and water purification materials, it says IRKR website. Depending on the severity of the injury, between 1,000 and 5,000 people can be treated with the relief supplies.
The ICRC has launched an urgent appeal for donations under the title “Israel and Gaza”.
You can donate here.
Unicef
UNICEF made the first delivery of life-saving supplies such as drinking water according to his own statements Already on October 21, together with the Egyptian Red Crescent, the World Health Organization and the World Food Program, they were brought across the Rafah border crossing as part of a convoy of 20 trucks. Help is possible, emphasizes the children’s aid organization.
Unicef has set up its own fund for the purpose of “Emergency Aid for Children in Gaza”.
You can donate here.
Children help clean the street after a rocket attack in the Maghazi refugee camp.Image: keystone
Caritas
Caritas is involved on site with its partner organization CRS (Catholic Relief Service). Since the outbreak of recent fighting, CRS has provided small amounts of cash to 7,100 households in the Gaza Strip. A total of $1.4 million has been made available for this so far. Four facilities were also supported and converted into refugee accommodation.
CRS has set up a logistics center in Cairo where it is preparing aid deliveries for Gaza. Caritas has set up a donation page called “Your donation for the people of Gaza”.
You can donate here.
Land of men
After Terre des Hommes had to temporarily suspend their activities in Gaza following the outbreak of war, they prepared emergency aid kits in Egypt. These serve to support 5,000 families (around 30,000 people). As Terre des Hommes further explains to Watson:
“Yesterday we were able to deliver our first delivery of food and first aid kits, including plasters, disinfectants and painkillers, to Gaza via the Rafah border crossing. They will be distributed by our local partner to children, mothers, fathers and families who have lost everything and are trapped by the war.”
Nine out of fifteen trucks could have already crossed the border. A total of over 60 employees and volunteers were involved in packing 10,000 boxes for the first delivery.
As soon as the situation allows, Terre des Hommes wants to provide emergency psychological assistance to the children in Gaza.
Under “Emergency Aid Gaza” you can directly support projects that benefit the civilian population in Gaza.
You can donate here.
This is how the Swiss government is helping
Ignazio Cassis commented on the situation in Israel on November 1st.Image: keystone
At a press conference on November 1st, Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis announced that a further 90 million would be made available for humanitarian aid in the Middle East. The 90 million will flow to several international organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, the World Food Program, Unicef and non-governmental organizations such as “Médecins sans frontières” and “Terre des Hommes”. The UN Office for Humanitarian Aid (Unocha) receives the largest contribution of 25 million.
In summary, Switzerland supports organizations that offer protection and accommodation to people affected by the war and provide them with food, said the Foreign Minister.
The war between Israel and Palestine is also a war of cards. They are particularly important in the Middle East conflict due to the numerous developments. We will explain the historical background to you.
They appear again and again in different versions and on numerous social networks: maps that show how Israel is increasingly claiming Palestinian territories for itself. This leads to the already spiteful debate being further fueled. Who owns which area? Who attacked who? Who is to blame for the renewed escalation?
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