Aceh Flood Relief Restores Lives of 900 Families

Severe floods and landslides that struck Aceh, Indonesia from late 2025 to early 2026 caused widespread destruction and affected thousands of people. Continuous heavy rainfall caused water levels to rise more than five metres in some areas, sweeping away homes, schools and community facilities.

Thousands of families were left homeless, while damaged roads and collapsed bridges disrupted rescue operations and humanitarian aid deliveries. In these difficult circumstances, many affected communities relied heavily on support from humanitarian organisations to survive and recover.

Aceh Flood Crisis Affects Thousands of People

The disaster across several areas in Aceh had a devastating impact on local communities.

The main challenges faced by affected communities included:

• Homes, schools and community buildings destroyed by floods and landslides.
• Roads and bridges damaged, leaving many areas isolated.
• Limited access to food supplies and clean water.
• Sharp increases in food and essential item prices, with costs rising nearly three times higher in some areas.
• Increased waterborne diseases, including diarrhoea and skin infections, due to poor sanitation conditions.
• Vulnerable groups, including babies, children, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, older people and persons with disabilities, being among the most affected.

In agricultural areas, more than 107,000 hectares of rice fields were reportedly damaged, affecting livelihoods and food security for many families.

Islamic Relief’s Support for Aceh Flood Victims

To help reduce the suffering of affected communities, Islamic Relief Malaysia, in collaboration with Islamic Relief Indonesia, implemented the Aceh Flood Emergency Response (AFER) across three phases.

The response focused on emergency assistance, essential needs and the provision of temporary shelter for families affected by the disaster.

Throughout the project implementation, 900 families received various forms of assistance, including:

1. Temporary Shelter

A total of 497 families received high-quality tarpaulins as temporary shelter solutions, while six temporary shelters were constructed for the most vulnerable families, including older people, families with young children and persons with disabilities.

As part of a more sustainable recovery approach, some shelters were built using wood materials recovered from flood debris, reflecting an innovative circular recovery approach.

2. Food Assistance

Islamic Relief distributed food assistance to affected families through several phases of emergency response.

 

The support provided included:

• Emergency food supplies
• 50 food packs
• 64 iftar packs
• Three cattle provided for community kitchens

These interventions helped families access nutritious meals while communities continued recovering from the impact of the floods.

3. Clean Water and Hygiene Kits

To reduce the risk of waterborne diseases, Islamic Relief distributed hygiene kits and installed three clean water tanks at strategic locations that were accessible to the community.

This initiative helped families maintain better health and safety while providing access to safe water for drinking and daily needs.

Due to severe damage to roads and transportation routes, Islamic Relief also received support from the Indonesian Navy and Indonesian Red Cross to deliver humanitarian supplies by sea.

This collaboration enabled essential assistance to reach isolated communities more quickly.

Impact of Assistance on Flood-Affected Communities

The implementation of the AFER project brought significant improvements to affected communities.

Key impacts included:

• Families gained access to safer temporary shelter.
• The risk of waterborne diseases was reduced through improved access to clean water.
• Communities received better food support through community kitchen initiatives.
• Local communities worked together to build temporary shelters for families in need.
• Emergency operations were delivered efficiently through pre-positioned relief supplies.
• No serious disease cases were recorded throughout the intervention period.

Beyond meeting immediate needs, this assistance helped restore dignity, safety and hope among affected families as they began rebuilding their lives after the disaster.

Extend Your Support Through MySedekah

Natural disasters can strike without warning and leave lasting impacts on vulnerable communities. Public support plays an important role in ensuring families receive life-saving assistance when they need it most.

Through the MySedekah campaign, you can help provide food, clean water, temporary shelter and essential supplies to communities affected by disasters around the world.

Every contribution can bring renewed hope to families facing the most challenging moments of their lives.

Editor’s note: This article contains details of the Bosnian War that some may find disturbing.

Between 1992 and 1995, the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina was devastated by a brutal war that killed 100,000 people and displaced more than 2 million.

It was a conflict defined by ethnic cleansing. Armed forces deliberately targeted Bosniak Muslims – killing, raping, torturing, looting and pillaging, and violently forcing Bosniak populations from their homes.

More than 30 years later, Bosnia is still scarred by the conflict.

The list of atrocities committed during the Bosnian conflict is long, but the events of Srebrenica stand out as a moment that finally captured the attention of the world.

On 11 July 1995, Bosnian Serb soldiers captured Srebrenica in eastern Bosnia and over the next few days, systematically murdered more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys.

It was the largest massacre carried out on European soil since World War II and was recognised as a genocide by the United Nations.

 

 

 

Today, Srebrenica is a quiet town that feels frozen in time.

From a pre-war population of 10,000 people, now only 2,000 remain. There are very few jobs available and those who still live there are surrounded by reminders of the violence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scattered throughout Srebrenica are abandoned homes, walls studded with bullet holes. No one knows who owns them, so they have remained derelict and empty for more than 30 years.

 

 

 

 

 

The town is surrounded by forests which acted as cover for a huge group of 10,000 Bosniak men and boys who fled the events of the genocide, trying to reach the free city of Tuzla more than 60 miles away. Just 3,000 people survived the perilous journey that has since become known as the ‘death march’.

 

Located outside of Srebrenica is the Srebrenica Genocide Memorial which stands as a monument to the 8,732 victims of the genocide. The figure of those murdered is not final. There are spaces left in the centre as every year, new graves are unearthed and new victims found.

 

Many of the victims of the genocide came from towns like Bratunac. Before the war, Bosniak Muslims made up some 64% of the population. Now, in 2026, they make up just 34%.

 

 

While it is known as the Srebrenica Genocide, the killings took place across eastern Bosnia. Republika Srpska forces transported Bosniak men and boys (aged from 12 to 77) out of Srebrenica by bus and took them for so-called ‘interrogations’.

Pictured is the Kravice warehouse, one of dozens of sites across eastern Bosnia where victims were murdered in the thousands. It is estimated that between 1,000 and 1,500 men were killed at Kravice.

 

 

 

There are so many locations like Kravice across Bosnia and Herzegovina, they blend into the countryside. Locals pass by them every day, sometimes they even live next door to them.

Mass graves are dotted across eastern Bosnia, often in the most unassuming locations. The Srebrenica Memorial Centre reports that remains of those murdered at Srebrenica have so far been found in 94 mass graves.

Pictured is the grave located at Cerska, 17 miles from Srebrenica. The grave was exhumed in 1995 and contained 150 remains of victims estimated to range from age 14 to 50 years at the time of their deaths.

On the outskirts of the town of Vlasenica, another mass grave is hidden by forest.

Over a period of 8 years, 54 victims were found buried here. Among that number were 11 children aged from 4 to 12 years old.

Decades later, memories of the war remain unavoidable in Bosnia. There are reminders everywhere, the very land itself is scarred.

An entire generation of Bosnians only know their parents from photographs and home videos. Whether they lost fathers to the Srebrenica Genocide, or mothers, brothers and sisters in the conflict, many people live every day feeling the losses of war.

 

To learn more about the Srebrenica Genocide, the events of the Bosnian War and how Islamic Relief have stood with the Bosnian community for more than 30 years, you can read the full collection of stories here.

Meaning of Sadaqah: Definition, Evidence and How It Creates Change

Sadaqah is one of the noble acts of worship highly encouraged in Islam. It is not merely a form of giving wealth, but also an expression of sincerity, compassion and an effort to strengthen one’s relationship with Allah SWT.

Through sadaqah, individuals have the opportunity to share their blessings, support those in need and contribute towards improving the lives of vulnerable communities.

Today, giving sadaqah has become more accessible through online platforms such as MySedekah by Islamic Relief Malaysia, which provides an opportunity for people to contribute towards humanitarian efforts supporting vulnerable communities locally and globally.

What is the Meaning of Sadaqah?

The word sadaqah (صَدَقَةٌ) originates from the Arabic language. Linguistically, sadaqah means truthfulness or a sincere act of giving from a pure heart.

From an Islamic perspective, scholars define sadaqah as a form of giving that is performed solely to seek closeness to Allah SWT and His pleasure.

Sadaqah also refers to giving with the hope of receiving rewards from Allah SWT, without expecting anything in return from other people.

According to Ibn Manzur in Lisan al-‘Arab, sadaqah refers to a gift given for the sake of Allah SWT to the poor and those in need.

In summary, sadaqah is a sincere act of giving during one’s lifetime, with the intention of seeking closeness to Allah SWT while helping those who require support.

Reference: Meaning of the Word Sadaqah, Dr Zulkifli Al-Bakri

Evidence of Sadaqah in Islam

Allah SWT promises great rewards for those who give sadaqah with sincerity.

Allah SWT says:

إِنَّ الْمُصَّدِّقِينَ وَالْمُصَّدِّقَاتِ وَأَقْرَضُوا اللَّهَ قَرْضاً حَسَناً يُضَاعَفُ لَهُمْ وَلَهُمْ أَجْرٌ كَرِيمٌ

Meaning:

“Indeed, the men and women who give charity and lend to Allah a goodly loan will have it multiplied for them, and they will receive a noble reward.”

(Surah Al-Hadid: 18)

This verse highlights that every act of giving performed with sincere intention for the sake of Allah SWT holds great value and reward in His sight.

Why is Giving Sadaqah Important?

Sadaqah does not only benefit the recipient, but also nurtures compassion, empathy and social responsibility within the giver.

Among the importance of giving sadaqah are:

1. Helping Those in Need

Sadaqah is one of the ways to support vulnerable families, disaster survivors, refugees and communities facing difficult circumstances.

Through donations, essential needs such as food, shelter, education and healthcare can be provided to those who need them.

2. Strengthening Human Connections

The practice of giving sadaqah encourages compassion and responsibility towards society.

It reminds us that the blessings we have are not only for ourselves, but can also be shared with others who are less fortunate.

3. Creating Opportunities for Continuous Good Deeds

Today, people can perform sadaqah more easily through trusted digital platforms.

This allows more individuals to contribute according to their abilities at any time.

What is MySedekah by Islamic Relief Malaysia?

MySedekah is one of the key fundraising initiatives by Islamic Relief Malaysia that aims to provide opportunities for communities to give sadaqah and support people in need.

Through MySedekah, funds collected are used to support various emergency response and development programmes in Malaysia and around the world.

This initiative enables people to make sadaqah a continuous practice that creates meaningful impact for vulnerable communities.

How are MySedekah Funds Distributed?

MySedekah provides flexibility for Islamic Relief Malaysia to allocate donations based on current needs and programme priorities.

This approach allows assistance to reach communities most in need, especially during humanitarian crises and disasters.

Support is provided through several key sectors, including:

• Emergency response
• Sustainable livelihoods
• Education
• Healthcare
• Food assistance and essential needs

Where Does MySedekah Provide Assistance?

Besides supporting communities in Malaysia, MySedekah funds also contribute towards Islamic Relief’s humanitarian operations in various countries, including:

• Syria
• Palestine
• Sudan
• Somalia
• Indonesia
• Bosnia & Herzegovina
• And other countries requiring humanitarian support

Through Islamic Relief’s global operational network, assistance can be delivered to communities affected by conflict, poverty, natural disasters and humanitarian crises in a faster, organised and effective manner.

How to Give Sadaqah Through MySedekah?

Giving sadaqah is now easier through MySedekah by Islamic Relief Malaysia.

With a single contribution, you can support humanitarian efforts that assist vulnerable families, disaster survivors and communities in need around the world.

Regardless of the amount given, every contribution carries great meaning and can create a positive impact on the lives of others.

Give your sadaqah today through MySedekah and be part of creating meaningful change.

Sudan Emergency Relief Supports Thousands of Conflict-Affected People

The ongoing armed conflict in Sudan continues to fuel one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. Millions of people have been displaced, lost their livelihoods, and been left without access to basic necessities.

To support those most affected, Islamic Relief Malaysia, through the MySedekah fund and Sudan Emergency Relief, implemented the Lifesaving Interventions for IDP Families – Sudan Emergency (LIFE Project) in Gedaref and Red Sea states, Sudan, in 2024.

The project focused on supporting Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who were forced to flee their homes due to the ongoing conflict.

Humanitarian Crisis Deepens in Sudan

The continuing conflict has forced thousands of families to seek safety in areas such as Gedaref and Red Sea. However, life in displacement sites remains extremely challenging.

Among the major issues faced by displaced families are:

• Food shortages and limited access to daily necessities due to loss of income.
• Insufficient safe shelter, leaving families exposed to harsh weather conditions and security risks.
• Women, children, and adolescents experiencing trauma and psychological distress caused by the conflict.
• A severe cash shortage caused by the financial crisis, making daily transactions increasingly difficult.
• Drone attacks and escalating violence that continue to hinder humanitarian operations on the ground.

These conditions make emergency humanitarian assistance critical to helping affected families survive with safety and dignity.

Comprehensive Assistance for Internally Displaced Families

Through the LIFE Project, Islamic Relief Malaysia delivered a range of humanitarian interventions that addressed both immediate needs and emotional well-being.

1. Cash Assistance

A total of 280 families received SDG125,000 in cash assistance (approximately RM800 per family). The assistance enabled families to purchase food, medicine, and other essential items according to their most urgent needs.

2. Emergency Shelter

A total of 73 families received emergency shelter tents, providing safer living conditions, protection from extreme weather, and greater privacy.

3. Psychosocial Support

A total of 1,900 women, children, and adolescents participated in psychosocial support (PSS) sessions and recreational activities designed to reduce stress, trauma, and anxiety resulting from the conflict.

4. Community Activities and Safe Spaces

Ten community programmes were organised at IDP settlements, including activities such as puppet theatre performances and coffee corners, creating safe spaces for social interaction, emotional recovery, and community support.

5. Protection and Accountability

Islamic Relief also implemented a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system alongside safeguarding awareness sessions to ensure beneficiaries understood their rights and had access to safe and confidential complaint mechanisms.

6. Strategic Partnerships

The project was implemented in collaboration with the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), the State Ministry of Health, and the State Ministry of Social Welfare, helping ensure aid reached vulnerable communities effectively and efficiently.

Impact of the Sudan Emergency Relief Project

Throughout the implementation period, the LIFE Project reached 4,030 conflict-affected people through a comprehensive package of humanitarian assistance.

Key achievements of the project include:

• Reducing hunger by enabling families to purchase food and other basic necessities through cash assistance.
• Providing safer temporary shelter for families displaced by conflict.
• Improving the mental well-being of women, children, and adolescents through psychosocial support programmes.
• Strengthening collaboration between Islamic Relief and local authorities, contributing to more efficient and transparent humanitarian operations.

Standing with the People of Sudan

Despite ongoing security challenges and Sudan’s financial crisis, Islamic Relief remains committed to delivering life-saving humanitarian assistance to those in need.

Support from the public through MySedekah enables more conflict-affected families to receive emergency assistance that saves lives, restores dignity, and offers hope for rebuilding their future.

Every donation does more than meet today’s urgent needs, it provides hope for thousands of families facing one of the world’s most devastating humanitarian crises. Donate now: MySedekah

Philippines Flood Response Brings Relief to 770 Families in La Paz

Heavy rainfall caused by a shear line weather system struck La Paz, Agusan del Sur in the CARAGA Region of Mindanao, Philippines, in February 2026, triggering flash floods and landslides that devastated thousands of families.

The disaster not only damaged homes but also disrupted livelihoods, reduced access to food, and affected the daily lives of communities that rely heavily on agriculture. Through the Shearline Flood Response in La Paz, Agusan del Sur project, Islamic Relief Malaysia, in collaboration with Islamic Relief Philippines, provided emergency assistance to help affected families meet their immediate needs.

More Than One Million People Affected by the Floods

The extreme weather conditions caused widespread destruction across several parts of the Philippines. Overall:

• 260,339 families (more than 1.08 million people) were affected.
• 7,757 families were displaced and forced to seek temporary shelter.
• 115 homes were damaged.
• Eight people lost their lives.

Beyond the loss of homes, many families also lost their livelihoods as farmlands and agricultural areas were submerged. Food supplies became increasingly limited, raising the risk of food insecurity, particularly among vulnerable groups such as women, children, and people with disabilities.

In La Paz, 10,304 families (approximately 42,016 people) across 15 barangays (villages) were among the communities most severely affected by the disaster.

Cash Assistance Helps Families Meet Urgent Needs

To support affected communities, Islamic Relief Malaysia, through Islamic Relief Philippines, implemented a cash-based emergency assistance programme, enabling families to purchase the items they needed most.

Under this project:

• 770 families received emergency cash assistance.
• Each family received PHP 3,000 (approximately RM198).

The programme prioritised:

• Farmers and agricultural workers.
• Flood-affected families.
• Families whose homes were damaged.
• Families living in high-risk areas.
• Families who had not yet received assistance from other organisations.

Cash assistance gives families the flexibility to purchase food, medicine, household essentials, and other urgent necessities according to their individual circumstances.

Helping Families Rebuild Their Lives After the Disaster

The emergency assistance not only addressed immediate needs but also supported families as they began rebuilding their lives.

The project has helped to:

• Reduce the risk of food insecurity.
• Enable families to meet their essential daily needs.
• Support the recovery of household livelihoods after income losses.
• Ensure assistance reaches those who need it most.

Every contribution provides hope and helps affected families recover with dignity after experiencing the devastating impact of the floods.

“The assistance we receive helps us cover our immediate needs, including food and other essential daily expenses. Before receiving this support, we depended solely on our irregular income from farming, making it difficult to provide for our family’s daily needs and support our daughter’s education.

“To the donors and supporters of Islamic Relief, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your generosity. Your support brings hope to families like ours and gives us the strength to move forward despite the challenges we continue to face.” – Angelie Padrones, right holder

Be a Lifeline for Families Affected by Disaster

When disasters strike, vulnerable families need immediate support to access food, shelter, and other essential necessities.

Through Islamic Relief Malaysia’s MySedekah campaign, you can help ensure that more families affected by disasters receive timely humanitarian assistance.

Donate today through the MySedekah campaign and help bring hope, relief, and a brighter future to families in need.

Many families who survived the earthquake are still homeless, searching for news of loved ones, and struggling to get food, shelter and medicine, Islamic Relief’s response team on the ground reports.

Omar Khalifa is part of Islamic Relief’s emergency response team in Venezuela, working with local partners to deliver food, shelter and medical supplies to survivors of the earthquakes. He says: 

“Tens of thousands of families are still homeless and still urgently need aid like food, shelter and medicine.

“The situation at some of the evacuation sites is complete chaos, with people in distress and searching for loved ones who are still missing and they don’t know if they’re dead or alive. They don’t know whether to grieve or keep hoping. Families are sheltering in basic tents and trying to work out what to do next and how to get help. Children are sick and don’t know where to go to get treatment. 

“But local volunteer groups like the ones we’re partnering with are working miracles to get aid to people. They just need more support as the scale of need is so huge. 

“Now people are afraid the world’s attention will start to shift away while they still need urgent help. 

“The scale of the destruction is unimaginable. We just got back from one building that had completely collapsed and the ceiling had become the floor. We’re still getting tremors and aftershocks – yesterday some of the volunteers we’re working with had to evacuate their building because one of the aftershocks was so strong. Every aftershock causes people even more distress and trauma.”

Islamic Relief is working with local partner networks to deliver aid including food packs, hygiene kits, clothes, mattresses, drinking water and medical supplies.

On World Refugee Day, we share the stories of 2 Sudanese women forced to leave the lives they had built when war arrived.

Every morning, Ikhlas wakes at 3:30am. She makes dough to bake into kisra (a thin fermented bread, which is a staple in Sudanese homes), then sells it, piece by piece, to families living in the same rows of tents she now calls home.

Just 2 years ago, Ikhlas had a government job in public health in El Fasher, a city in western Sudan. She would go door to door in her area, speaking to families about health, sharing advice, and helping connect people with support where she could. Ikhlas’s husband worked at the Ministry of Justice, while her children were in school and university. Life was not extravagant, but it was stable, and it was theirs.

Sari, who lives a few rows away from Ikhlas in the same displacement camp in the coastal city of Port Sudan, tells a version of the same story. A few years ago, she was an employee in the Ministry of Finance and her husband ran a successful trading business. Together, they were raising 7 children. “Before the war, alhamdulillah, we had a good life,” she says. “We had what we needed and more.”

This is the part of Sudan’s crisis that gets lost in the headlines and statistics. The over 9 million people displaced since April 2023 were not, for the most part, struggling to survive before war came to them. Many were teachers, civil servants, traders, nurses, and accountants. People with careers and savings and school fees already paid. People who had built something for themselves and their families, but the war did not distinguish. It took everything from everyone.

Abandoned homes, arduous journeys

Ikhlas left El Fasher on foot with her 85-year-old mother and 2 daughters after losing 4 family members in the early weeks of fighting. Her sister was killed along with her brother-in-law and their 2 daughters. A neighbour, a young man of 35, was shot outside her brother’s house. Ikhlas and her family walked and rode through desert checkpoints for nearly 2 weeks before reaching Port Sudan. She left her home unlocked with everything in its place.

Ikhlas left gold in the house. She left savings in an account she can no longer access. She left a government salary that is technically still accumulating somewhere she cannot reach. She left her 3 sons behind with their father because transport for the whole family was too expensive. Her husband, who has a disability, eventually made the journey alone on a cart. It took 12 days travelling through open terrain, and their sons joined them later in the IDP camp.

Sari’s journey was similarly gruelling, with checkpoints on the road creating uncertainty at every stage. “There are things I still cannot fully speak about,” she says. She arrived in Port Sudan 8 months ago with her children. Her husband, no longer able to run his business, now makes incense and sells it in the market. Life isn’t what it used to be but at least there is some income.

When everything you built collapses

Displacement strips workers like Sari, Ikhlas and their husbands of more than income. It robs them of the entire infrastructure their life depended on. Qualifications cannot be used here. Networks no longer function. Routines that kept families moving forward must be scrapped and rebuilt from scratch.

Sari has 6 children who should be in school but their path back to education is full of obstacles. Ikhlas’s daughter sat her Sudanese national exams as a displaced person, revising in a tent. Another daughter is trying to continue her university degree from the camp. One of their brothers has quietly set aside his own education to help his mother sell kisra in the mornings.

“These are not permanent decisions,” Ikhlas says. “They are what we have to do right now.”

Water makes everything possible

Water is something many around the world take for granted – essential for life but so everyday we barely register it. But in displacement camps across Sudan, getting clean, affordable water is one of the most exhausting and constant pressures families face. It impacts every facet of life, from what you can cook and if your children can bathe to whether someone who is sick can be cared for properly.

Both Ikhlas and Sari know this all too well. Before Islamic Relief installed water trucking at their camp, Sari was spending the equivalent of roughly five to seven thousand Sudanese pounds ($1.47 USD to $2 USD) a day on water, sometimes more on laundry days. With no regular income and a family of 7 to provide for, it amounted to more than $60 USD per a month on water alone. Ikhlas, who was buying individual cans of water at around 5 cents each, was spending a similar amount daily for a household of 6 or 7.

“Every meal, every wash, every glass of water had a price on it,” Sari says. “It wore you down.”

Islamic Relief’s project changed that, reducing what Sari and Ikhlas were spending to almost nothing, and freeing up money that could go towards food, medicine, or the other small daily needs that pile up when you are rebuilding your life from nothing.

But the impact was not only financial. Both women describe something harder to put a number on: the relief of not having to calculate every drop. The mental load of water insecurity – always needing to know how much you have, working out how to get more –  is something that does not show up in any report. It just lives with you, every hour of the day.

“Water is the foundation of life,” Sari says. “Once you have that, everything else becomes a little more possible.”

Home is still the plan

Neither Sari nor Ikhlas frames sees the camp when they look to the future. Both women think of home.

“I want El Fasher to be calm,” Ikhlas says. “I want to go back and finish the work I started. I want to see my children graduate.” “And [I want to perform] hajj. I have never been. I would like to go before it is too late.”

Sari sees the road back home more concretely: “Once there is peace and stability, everything follows. You go back to your job, your children go back to school. You resume. Maybe life comes back better than it was before.”

On World Refugee Day, Islamic Relief is calling on the international community to scale up support for Sudan’s displaced families and to remember that behind every number is a person who built a life and deserves the chance to do so again.

Please help Islamic Relief continue supporting people whose lives have been upended by the conflict in Sudan. Donate to our International Emergency Appeal today.

A powerful 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, on 16 June 2026, leaving thousands of people affected and causing widespread damage across several communities, particularly in Sigi District.

According to Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres, approximately 244 kilometres southeast of Palu. The quake was tectonic in origin and did not trigger a tsunami. However, strong shaking and hundreds of aftershocks have continued to impact affected communities.

Indonesia Earthquake 2026: One Dead, Dozens Injured and Thousands Affected

As of 18 June 2026, preliminary reports indicate that:

• 1 person has died
• 75 people were injured
• 5,774 people have been affected
• 1,360 houses were damaged
• 3 schools sustained damage
• 33 places of worship were affected
• 2 water system installations were damaged
• 8 public facilities were impacted

The figures are expected to change as assessments continue.

The most severely affected area is Sigi District, including Palolo Sub-district, which was previously impacted by the devastating 2018 earthquake and liquefaction disaster. The latest earthquake has reignited trauma and fear among local residents, many of whom are still reluctant to return to their homes.

Ongoing Aftershocks Increase Fear and Displacement

More than 119 aftershocks were reported within a single day following the earthquake, prompting many families to seek refuge in temporary shelters and makeshift tents near their homes.

One elderly resident reportedly died from a heart attack during the earthquake. Meanwhile, injured survivors have been evacuated to nearby hospitals as local health facilities struggle to cope with the scale of the emergency.

Safe Water and Electricity Remain Critical Needs

Access to clean and safe drinking water has emerged as one of the most urgent challenges.

The earthquake triggered landslides in the Nokilalaki mountain area, damaging water pipelines that supply surrounding communities. As a result, many families are now dependent on externally supplied water.

The situation has been further compounded by a prolonged power outage across affected areas. Limited lighting and reduced access to basic services continue to affect families staying in communal shelters and personal tents.

Local authorities have declared a 14-day emergency response period, effective from 16 June 2026, to support ongoing relief efforts.

Islamic Relief Provides Immediate Humanitarian Assistance

Islamic Relief teams were deployed immediately following the earthquake to support emergency response efforts in Central Sulawesi.

By the first evening of the response, the Emergency Response Team successfully distributed:

• 7 water tanks with a capacity of 1,050 litres each
• 100 boxes of bottled drinking water

A generator is also being prepared for delivery to support electricity needs at evacuation centres.

Islamic Relief has allocated funds to provide emergency assistance for approximately 170 affected households. Additional support is being mobilised through ongoing fundraising efforts to reach up to 1,000 vulnerable families.

Food, Shelter and Hygiene Support Planned

Over the coming days, Islamic Relief plans to distribute essential humanitarian aid, including:

• Food packages containing rice, cooking oil, eggs, sugar and other basic items
• Tarpaulins for temporary shelter
• Hygiene kits with essential personal care items
• Blankets for affected families

Islamic Relief is also exploring the establishment of communal kitchens, drawing on successful experience from previous disaster responses in Aceh, to provide cooked meals for vulnerable survivors while ensuring food safety and hygiene standards.

Supporting Communities Through Recovery

While no waterborne disease outbreaks have been reported so far, humanitarian agencies remain concerned about the potential health risks associated with ongoing water shortages and poor living conditions.

As communities in Central Sulawesi continue to face uncertainty, Islamic Relief remains committed to providing life-saving assistance and supporting affected families throughout the emergency response and recovery period.

Learn more about our International Emergency Appeal here and support families in need.

Olive trees and their fruit are central not only to the everyday lives of Palestinians, but also as a symbol of Palestinian resistance and resilience.

Here, we break down the significance of the olive tree to Palestinians.

A deeply rooted history

Olive trees are among the oldest cultivated trees on Earth. With an average lifespan of some 300-600 years, the trees can support families and communities for generations.

Some olive trees have been reported as living for thousands of years, with the world’s oldest believed to be between 2,000 and 4,000 years old.

The long lives of olive trees reflect the history of Palestinian communities on their land, where the trees have been a constant amid hundreds of years of political change and upheaval.

The presence of the trees also challenges the idea that Palestine was ‘a land without people’, as claimed by settler movements in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

An economic lifeline

Olives are the primary or secondary source of income for some 80,000-100,000 Palestinian families. Before October 2023, they accounted for 70% of fruit production in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). Most of the annual olive harvest (93%) is used to produce olive oil, while the rest is used for soap, table olives and pickled olives.

Most of the OPT’s olive products are consumed locally, but exports to the region and internationally are increasingly common.

A cultural emblem

Harvest season, traditionally October-November, has long been a time for families to come together and pick olives from their trees, often singing and sharing stories while they work. Universities and schools even give students time off for the harvest.

Most of the olives are pressed for oil, which is used in cooking – from making zaatar to stews and pastries – but olives are also present in some medicines and cosmetics, as well as soap.

Some olive oil even serves a religious purpose, with Muslims and Christians considering it a blessed or symbolic substance and using it in their rites.

Beyond seeing olive trees solely as a source of income, many Palestinians have a strong emotional connection to their trees, which they care for over years and decades, almost as they would a family member.

Olive trees and their fruit feature prominently in art from the OPT, with many painters and poets such as Mahmoud Darwish and Tawfiq Zayyad drawing on their powerful symbolism.

Olive trees and Gaza

Olive trees have been yet another casualty of Israel’s devastating bombardment of Gaza. As cultivated land has been destroyed by military attacks, many families have been forced to take an axe to their own trees for firewood amid crippling fuel shortages.

In a November 2024 blog, written to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, an Islamic Relief aid worker recounted this experience:

“I cannot forget that olive trees provided us with wood and leaves to burn for heat and cooking when there was no fuel. We keep taking, and they keep giving. Even their extended branches sheltered us when there was no shelter.”

Forced to flee to a nearby country where they are now safe with their family, but longing for home and peace, our colleague wrote:

“I wish I’d had the chance to hug my own trees goodbye. It’s a feeling so many of us share… We have a profound bond with these trees and the land they grow on. They are an integral part of our heritage, food and even our proverbs – a heritage accumulated through centuries of connection. As the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish said, ‘Here we remain, as long as thyme and olives remain.’

“The olive trees and the people bonded to them can only live and thrive on this land, just as other types of trees flourish where they too belong.”

A symbol of resistance

Olive trees are drought-resistant and can grow even in poor soil conditions. These characteristics have made the trees symbolic of Palestinians’ attachment to their land.

Beyond symbolism, olive trees play a material role in the resistance of Palestinians to illegal occupation and land seizures. Planting and cultivating these trees are acts of defiance amid occupation, while the presence of the trees makes it more difficult to claim land is uninhabited or unused.

However, many farmers have been cut off from their trees, with access to land hugely restricted by Israeli controls. An inconsistently implemented permit system severely hampers farmers’ ability to cultivate their trees. Permits are granted to individuals, meaning families can often not work together to care for their trees – resulting in smaller harvests. Farmers must also often pass through checkpoints to reach their land. These checkpoints are only open at certain times of day, which restricts the time farmers can spend working their land and so also limits the harvest.

While olive trees can survive without constant cultivation, meaning they can still be a valuable source of income for families despite the hefty access challenges, the impact of separating farmers from their land and trees is significant.

Olive trees under attack

Sadly, olive trees – and the farmers who cultivate them – have become a target for attacks, particularly just before and during harvest season.

This is especially the case in the West Bank, where trees have been uprooted, burned and hacked apart by settlers. In 2025, United Nations agency OCHA reported the highest level of damage due to settler attacks since 2020, with over 4,000 trees attacked in 126 incidents recorded across 70 towns and villages.

Such attacks have been condemned by international non-governmental organisations, as well as some Jewish groups, who point out that the Torah prohibits the destruction of trees, including during wartime.

The destruction of trees in conflict also violates the Geneva Convention, specifically Articles 54 and 55.

Local communities and civil society groups have taken steps to protect trees and farmers during harvest season, as well as to replace trees that have been destroyed, but OCHA figures suggest the problem is getting worse.

Islamic Relief is supporting Palestinians in need

Over the years, Islamic Relief has provided families with olive trees, which they can use to boost their income and improve their diet.

This work helps ensure Palestinians have enough food in the future, makes communities better able to handle challenge, protects the environment, and keeps cultural traditions alive

Providing olive trees is just one of the ways Islamic Relief is supporting Palestinians in desperate need.

Find out more and donate to our Palestine Appeal here.

As the world marks the 78^th anniversary of Nakba Day, four humanitarian workers from Islamic Relief Palestine share what ‘home’ means to them.

A memory suspended between what once was but is no longer

For me, ‘home’ is no longer just walls and a roof. It has become a memory suspended between what once was but is no longer. Whenever I hear the word, small details rush to mind – details that once shaped my life; an apartment I finished with care and love a year before the war began, furnished with the most beautiful pieces, and warmth in every corner. There was my daughter’s room, decorated with Cinderella drawings, where she laughed and dreamed. There was my son’s room, with the Spider-Man designs, reflecting his innocence and passion. I didn’t have enough time to truly enjoy it all. It was as if time itself was rushing me towards loss.

On my last visit to the house after our 10^th displacement, I found it damaged – cracked walls, crooked doors, windows without any glass. Yet, it still held something unseen; a hidden warmth, memories and hope. That was when I realised that a home is not what a building’s walls contain, but what that place leaves within us. I tried to recreate that feeling in the places we were displaced to, but something was always missing. Nothing resembled the smell of home, the laughter of my children in its corners, or the greetings of neighbours that once began my day.

The news of our home’s complete destruction reached me on the morning of Eid al-Adha 2025, at 9 o’clock. ‘May God compensate you with blessings, your house is gone.’ The news struck like lightening, yet I didn’t feel the pain immediately. I simply said, “Alhamdulillah.” I was like a football player who doesn’t feel an injury until the wound cools.

My real pain began when I returned to my family – the news had already reached them, and I saw the tears in my wife and children’s eyes. Only then did I realise that I hadn’t just lost 4 walls, I had lost a part of my soul. The longing for every detail, even for the sounds of the neighbours, grew stronger. For me, returning home is no longer a question of returning to a place, but to an entire life… one I am still searching for everywhere.

Home is a feeling of being understood

When I think about home, I do not really see a place or a building. It is more of a feeling, like something settling inside me. Home is in the things like how the sunlight hits the same corner of the room every afternoon, the familiar creak of a door, or the smell of food drifting in before I’d even stepped into the kitchen – and stolen some from behind my mother’s back, just to taste it, before she’d yell at me, “lunch is ready, don’t fill your stomach!” Home is not just where I am, it is a place where I don’t have to think about who I am.

Most of the memories I hold onto are not big or dramatic, they are just little moments. I remember sitting around a table where no one cared that everyone was talking at once. I remember hearing laughter carry from one room to another. Even the silence felt different. It was comfortable, not empty. I remember evenings that stretched out long enough for stories to be told again and again but still feel worth listening to. On their own, those moments do not seem like much. But together, they form something solid.

I have also realised that home is not always tied to a place, sometimes home is people. Home is in the way someone says my name or how they just know my habits, likes and dislikes without asking. Home shows up in meals, nothing fancy, just familiar dishes. One bite of something I have eaten a hundred times can bring back so many memories. Even small traditions matter. They do not have to be big celebrations planned for weeks, just little things that quietly remind me that this is us and this is my home.

The last time I felt at home somewhere nothing big had happened. No emotional reunion, no significant moment. It was just easy – I slipped back into things without thinking. I did not feel like a guest, I did not feel like I had to explain myself. I felt understood, and this is what home comes down to for me, that feeling of being understood.

In the end, home is not really about walls or a specific place, home is about connection. It is about my family members and loved ones. Home is wherever I can be myself, and whomever I can be myself with, without having to explain. It is what I go back to in life, or even just in my mind, when I need to feel like myself again – feel safe again – with all my family members and loved ones gathered together. That is my home.

Home is a place that carries us as much as we carry it

When I hear the word ‘home’, the first things that come to mind are safety, peace and warmth. I imagine the house we worked so hard to turn into exactly what we’d once dreamt of.

It was a simple home, but it was full of us. It had only 3 rooms – a room for my wife and I, a room for our only daughter, and a large room that held the laughter and dreams of our 4 sons. Even the kitchen had a special spirit. It had been designed carefully by my wife and every corner carried her personal touch.

We used to visit our house every Friday while it was still being built, following every small detail step by step and waiting with excitement for it to be ready. Although it was bought through a bank loan over 85 months, what we felt was not the weight of debt, but the joy of a dream turning into reality.

The most beautiful days of our lives were spent in that home. Our children grew up there, in the Tel Al-Hawa neighbourhood of southern Gaza. They made their first friends there and got involved with the nearby kindergartens, schools and playgrounds. We used to walk to the sea together, and it was as if even the road there formed part of our daily happiness. Life around us felt simple and close; our neighbours became like an extended family. We often gathered on our balcony, grilled meat and chicken, laughed and shared our lives – as if we’d never run out of time. Every corner of that house held a memory. We built it step by step, leaving a part of ourselves in every part of it.

But our happiness did not last. Our home was destroyed during a period of conflict, and we lost not only the building itself, but everything inside it: furniture, clothes, appliances, the children’s toys, books and schoolbooks. We lost so many memories at once. It was as if a part of our life suddenly went out.

Today, we live in a rented house, where we’re trying to recreate that feeling of ‘home’, but something always feels missing. I have come to understand that a true home is not just a place we live in, but something that carries us as much as we carry it.

Despite the pain, the memories remain warm in our hearts – a mixture of longing, sorrow, and hope. The house may no longer exist as it once was, but it still lives within us, and the dream it represents remains alive, as if we are waiting for the day we’ll rebuild it again – not only with stones, but with everything we lost.

Home is no longer a place, but an ache within us

When the word ‘home’ is spoken, I do not see a door or a stretch of wall. The picture that forms in my mind instead is something vividly alive, a scene woven from delicate details that the eye might overlook, yet the soul faithfully remembers. It is there that memory quietly recreates itself, time and again.

Home, in the truest sense, is not merely a space we inhabit. It is a small homeland where our dreams reside, where memories endure, untouched by the erosion of time. It is the first scent that greets me before I cross the threshold, the soft light filtering through a window I know by heart, the familiar voice that gently dissolves the estrangement of the passing days.

It is the one place where I owe no explanations, where I don’t need to justify what I feel. It is my mirror to life, in which I exist exactly as I am, without masks or defences. Within it, my memories gather in the simplest of forms – a fleeting laugh, a long conversation on a quiet night. Even a silence that soothes, rather than burdens. It is also where my journey into motherhood first began to take shape.

The beauty of home is that it is not confined to a place. Rather, it is a feeling that travels with us. Sometimes all it takes is a familiar taste to recall my children’s early years, or an old melody that carries me back to my youth, and, for a fleeting moment, I am home again. Yet, the longing persists. Some details cannot be recreated; the warmth of family, the order of things as they once were. Even the small, meaningful chaos we once lived within.

On 30 October, I left my home. I carried nothing but the Qur’an and a few belongings, leaving behind a lifetime suspended within its walls. Since that day, home is no longer a place. It has become an ache that dwells within us, wherever we go.

In the new place where war has forced me to live, I try to cultivate fragments of that feeling. I arrange my belongings with care. I hold tightly to tangible memories. I create small rituals to restore a sense of familiarity. Yet, there remains a part of home that cannot be carried with us, only longed for. And, if one day, dreams reclaim their place in reality, if I return to myself, to the home that once was, it will not merely be a journey from one place to another. It will be a return to a lighter self. A moment of pure belonging, where everything within me gently finds its balance again.

Home is where I began, and the refuge I return to whenever distance grows too heavy. It is a presence that does not vanish, even in absence – a place that lives deeply within me, as I have lived deeply within it. Memory overflows and so does the heart. From the fabric of our daily lives emerges the simple beauty of Palestinian musakhan. It was never just a meal; it was always a story of home and warmth. The scent of bread, the echo of our laughter, the taste of olive oil and olives all carry us back. They reopen the door to the home we all left behind. The rising smoke of onions and sumac feels like a guide, leading us back to moments of safety we once knew. Each bite becomes a memory. The dish becomes a small embrace, one we cling to, trying to conceal the ache of separation.

We tell ourselves that houses can be rebuilt, so long as the taste of home lives within us. But the truth remains: leaving home is unbearably painful. It fractures something deep within, and our hearts continue to carry that wound.

In the end, home transcends walls and geography. It becomes a state of warmth and belonging that lives within us. We may lose our houses and maps may be redrawn, but our true home remains, like a hidden secret within our hearts. And, perhaps, in a rare moment of truth, we come to realise that returning home was never about a place. It was always about finding a way back to ourselves.

These are the stories of Islamic Relief Palestine staff in their own words. Many of our colleagues, like the 4 above, have become displaced since October 2023, and are striving to support communities in need while also rebuilding their own lives. Please help them to continue being a lifeline to vulnerable people in Gaza. Donate to our Palestine Appeal today.