Current Situation *Updated* More than three months after the fighting stopped, the Gaza Strip remains a disaster zone. Families are struggling to survive, as hundreds of them had their homes completely demolished and do not have proper shelter
Gazans also continue to face difficulty obtaining food due to shortages and widespread poverty. According to the UN Works and Relief Agency, the health situation has grown even worse, with the spread of diarrhea and hepatitis, as lack of supplies and medicines continue to plague the coastal strip.
Islamic Relief’s Gaza office has identified the inflow of aid and building supplies as the chief priority in reconstructing and rehabilitating Gaza’s ailing population. Priorities include: spare parts and fuel for the power plant, supplies for hospitals and vital materials for water and sewage treatment facilities.
Despite the ceasefire which came into effect on January 18 after three weeks of non-stop conflict, Gaza’s population continues to be in tremendous need of humanitarian aid. Islamic Relief has been distributing food parcels, hygiene kits, kitchen sets and blankets to hundreds of families.
Thousands of Palestinian children and families have benefited from much-needed psychosocial counseling projects.
Please donate today to support Islamic Relief's emergency relief operations in Palestine.
“Rebuilding Gaza will cost billions of dollars.” – United Nations.
Displacement & Shelter • At the peak of displacement, UNRWA was accommodating almost 51,000 people, among them approximately 28,560 children, in 44 shelters across Gaza. Currently, about 500 people are in temporary shelters. • It has been estimated that 200,000 people were displaced, among them 112,000 children. • UNDP estimates that more than 15,000 homes, 68 government buildings and 31 non-governmental organization offices were either totally or partially damaged during the conflict. • A lot of families are staying with relatives while some have rented apartments, the rates for which have soared high.
Health • The shortage in certain types of medicine is still a burden facing thousands of Palestinian patients. • There are also some types of vital medicines and disposables which are not allowed to enter the Gaza Strip. • The number of hospital beds are not sufficient for patients in some Gaza Strip hospitals. • Hospitals continue to function at full capacity as many injured patients remain hospitalized. • Laboratory and dental services have been partially resumed. • All UNRWA health centers have been opened and are functioning normally.
Water, Sanitation and Electricity • Three months after the ceasefire, 90% of Gazans suffer from power cuts and 32,000 people lack access to running water. • At the height of the conflict most of Gaza's 1.5 million people were without electricity. • At any given time during the conflict, at least 500,000 people were without water. • Presently, 40% of the population remains without water. The remaining 60% receive only intermittent supply. • In the north of Gaza, households receive power for only six hours a day • At least 2.2 million liters of sewage have leaked out of Gaza's waste water system due to damage from shelling, affecting at least 91,727 people, including 51,367 children.
Food and Nutrition • Gazans continue to face difficulty obtaining food due to shortages on the market and the shortage of currency. • Eighty-eight percent of Gazans are now registered to receive food aid from aid agencies, including Islamic Relief. • There is a sharp increase in the price of food available in the markets. • Destruction of agricultural fields has added to the shortage of high-nutrition food. • Around 30,000 babies are not exclusively breastfed, exposing them to a high risk of infection or malnutrition from using breast milk substitutes prepared with contaminated water.
Education • All UNRWA schools have reopened, resuming education for approximately half of the children who have been out of schools since December 27.
Child Protection • The three-week conflict has had a serious impact on the psychological well-being of the population, especially children. • “Many children have lost family, friends and their homes. These children are in urgent need of psychological support to help them deal with the trauma of what they have experienced. Islamic Relief is planning to provide more than 5,000 children and families with emergency psychosocial support.” - Mohammad Al-Sousi, Country Director, Islamic Relief Palestine. • According to OCHA (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), Handicap International estimates that up to 50% of people injured (including about 430 children) have sustained severe injuries that, without proper rehabilitation, could result in permanent disability. Watch video of Islamic Relief aid worker in Gaza as featured on the Guardian’s website.
Islamic Relief’s Response • Following the ceasefire, Islamic Relief reopened its office doors in Gaza once again. A high number of staff members were present in the office planning for the future, and the number will increase in the days to come. • Islamic Relief’s staff members, although the office was closed due to the volatile situation in Gaza, continued to risk their lives during the conflict to provide for the suffering. • Transfer of funds to Islamic Relief’s bank account in Gaza has started. • Islamic Relief continues to distribute essential medical supplies and equipment to the local hospitals. • Islamic Relief has procured and distributed over $3 million of medical, food and other aid. • With more staff able to access the office and less restriction on movements inside Gaza, Islamic Relief will start conducting rapid assessment of the needs for the second phase of rehabilitation. This will be implemented parallel to the ongoing activities of delivering food to the IDPs and providing the hospitals with the necessary medical supplies. • Islamic Relief has delivered 20,000 liters of fuel to water wells to provide running water in some neighborhoods. • Received 4 ambulances and 10 trucks of powdered milk through the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza. • Till date, Islamic Relief has distributed over 17,500 food parcels. • Islamic Relief’s Crisis Group Psychosocial Intervention project helps thousands of Palestinian children in Gaza who were affected by the recent war. Psychologists highlight disorders among many of the children. Activities such as storytelling, drawing, role playing and recreational activities are designed to help children deal with post-war trauma. • Distributed 1,000 blankets in North & South Gaza. • Distribution of milk at schools for children • Distribution of hearing aids to deaf children as part of a development project that provides 100 hearing aids to deaf children in Gaza • Distribution of toys for children as part of the psychosocial support project that Islamic Relief has been implementing since the conflict in collaboration with a local partner. • Conduct training sessions for graduates to help them get more professionally involved in the community. • Launched the Demolition Waste Removal project in the Gaza Strip. The project works on removing demolition waste and rubble to a defined area to help in the clean up efforts to start the rebuilding process. • Islamic Relief also continues to deliver medical supplies (machines, disposables) for hospitals and private clinics which provide health services for the community, especially marginalized people. Almost all of the funding for the health sector is going to hospitals, thus these clinics are overlooked. Few of the clinics are fully equipped and they are doing a great deal of work treating the injured and sick. Please donate now to provide urgently needed aid.
2008 Relief Efforts in Gaza
In January of 2008, Islamic Relief launched a close to $10 million emergency appeal to help provide food, healthcare, and shelter in the worst effected areas. Vital aid has been provided to relieve the immediate suffering of more than 500,000 people in Palestine including children, hospital patients, farmers, needy families and those affected by conflict.
Some examples of Islamic Relief's assistance in the Gaza Strip include the following: • During 2008, Islamic Relief provided more than 60,000 food parcels for affected and poor families in Gaza. Powder milk was also provided for children suffering from malnutrition • About 300 urgent medical drugs (cancer, maternity, ophthalmic, general) and disposable items were provided for hospitals and clinics in the Gaza Strip in 2008 • Rehabilitation of many emergency departments in hospitals was finalized, such as: the emergency department at Al Najjar hospital and the Intensive Coronary Care Unit (ICCU) at Al Shifa hospital.
Islamic Relief has worked in Palestine since 1994, and opened its Gaza City office in 1998. Since then, Islamic Relief has been working to help the Palestinians with food aid, medical relief, small business loans, and orphan sponsorships.
Islamic Relief has established offices and staff in both the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Islamic Relief has also established educational enhancement centers, care programs for psychologically traumatized children and a school for the deaf.
Read more about Islamic Relief's recent efforts to help Palestinian families.
