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Click here to read about Islamic Relief's efforts in its continued aid to Gaza

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Current Humanitarian Crisis in Palestine
Last updated on April 18, 2008

After six months of severe fuel restrictions, the humanitarian situation in Gaza has been exacerbated. The unprecedented low levels of fuel do not meet the needs of the 1.4 million people living in Gaza.

Infrastructure Breaking Down Due to Hardships

Work in governmental and nongovernmental institutions has stopped due to lack of transportation between cities, town and refugee camps within Gaza. In addition:

• Primary and secondary educational institutions have stopped functioning.
• Hundreds of teachers and students are unable to reach schools resulting in university education to be suspended as well. 
• Restricted fuel shipments have forced water and sewage treatment facilities to close, threatening environmental disaster in the Gaza strip. 
• The health sector suffers from lack of fuel needed to operate ambulances
• Without fuel, agriculture and most water well pumps cannot operate. 
• The majority of the population does not have access to vegetables due to high prices, since the Gaza Strip witnesses an unprecedented phenomenon of unemployment and poverty. 
• To cope with this crisis and an already collapsed economy, many taxi drivers in Gaza are mixing gasoline with cooking oil instead of suitable fuel to maintain their livelihoods.
• Hospitals and primary healthcare facilities in Gaza continue to suffer greatly from ongoing electricity cuts and shortages of medicines and border closures prevent patients from leaving Gaza for vital medical aid. 
• More than 1,000 patients needing urgent medical care are awaiting permission to leave Gaza.

Ongoing travel restrictions and border closures are making aid deliveries increasingly difficult. These restrictions have resulted in an unemployment rate of 80 percent. Without jobs, families have no source of income and have been left to struggle with crippling poverty.

Currently, over two-thirds of Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip are living in poverty. At least 1.3 million Palestinians are estimated to be food insecure.

Your urgent help is needed to provide food, healthcare, and shelter to those worst affected by this crisis. Donate now.

Islamic Relief's Emergency Response
Lack of fuel has slowed aid distributions and efforts. Despite this, Islamic Relief remains one of the few agencies still working to deliver aid to those in need.

On January 22, 2008 Islamic Relief launched a close to $10 million emergency appeal to help implement a two-phased emergency response that will last for the next six months and will provide food, healthcare, and shelter in the worst-affected areas.

So far, over $1.4 million worth of vital aid has been spent 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.

This aid includes over $130,000 worth of medicines and medical disposables distributed to hospitals and over 10,000 food packages distributed to the poorest families in North Gaza, Gaza city, the Middle areas, Khan Younis, and Rafah.

In addition to emergency distributions of food and supplies to families, Islamic Relief has also been working to rejuvenate the community as a whole. Since the appeal began, Islamic Relief has worked hard to renovate hospitals, jump start local businesses, and implement programs for Palestinian children affected by conflict.

Renovating Al-Shefa Maternity Hospital

Al-Shefa Maternity Hospital is the main hospital in the Gaza Strip. On average, the facility receives about 50-60 delivery cases per day, despite there only being six delivery beds in 2007.  To read more about Islamic Relief's work at Al-Shefa Hospital, click here.

Supporting Carnations Farmers

Ongoing border closures have left many farmers unable to export their goods. Through Islamic Relief's new project, carnation farmers suffering because of limited mobility are making a living once again. Click here to read more.

Celebrating Palestinian Children

Children raised in environments of conflict and violence often fall into hopelessness and despair. To give Palestinian children a creative outlet and help them overcome their harsh environment, Islamic Relief sponsored a five-day festival celebrating Palestinian children and their talents. Click here to read more.

Islamic Relief's emergency aid is planned as follows:

Phase I

• 5,000 of the worst affected families will receive food packages
• 2,000 blankets, 500 cooking sets and 500 emergency gas lights will be distributed
• Urgent drugs and other medical items will be supplied to hospitals and primary health care clinics in coordination with the UN World Health Organization (WHO)
• Aid will benefit 150,000 people in Eastern Rafah, Eastern Khan Younis, the middle region, Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun.

Phase 2

• Food packages for another 30,000 families
• 10,000 bottles of infant milk formula
• 20 shipments of life-saving medicines to hospitals in the Gaza Strip
• 1,600 shelter kits, including blankets, cooking utensils and gas lights
• Agriculture restoration, including land leveling and network rehabs
• Emergency psychosocial intervention in affected areas

Islamic Relief in Palestine:

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 also established educational enhancement centers, care programs for psychologically traumatized children and a school for the deaf.

Your contribution can help the people of Gaza and other areas survive this escalating humanitarian crisis.

Please donate generously.

Click here to view Palestine Humanitarian Crisis Slideshow