Ramadan: Caring for displaced families in Gaza

Ramadan is the most significant and holy time of the Islamic calendar. A sacred month that marks a period of fasting, reflection and devotion to Allah. For Palestinians in Gaza in 2024, it was the most difficult Ramadan they had ever faced.

At this point in 2024, Gaza had suffered under more than 150 days of relentless Israeli attacks and siege, starvation and displacement.

Najoud and her 5 children were displaced from Jabalia camp in December 2023 after Israeli bombs struck their shelter, killing her husband.

Displaced far from home

Najoud fled to Deir al-Balah, where she and her children took refuge in Al-Manfaluti school. The family have suffered through health challenges ever since, worsening their situation. Najoud suffers with anaemia and a slipped disc, while also has undergone a hysterectomy in the past. One of her daughters, Aya, has ear infections which require surgical intervention.

The family’s financial situation was extremely precarious due to a lack of income and the collapse of the economy in Gaza. They lived in a tent shared with 3 other displaced families.

“Initially, we couldn’t provide the basic necessities of life because we had no money or anything. We had no clothes or kitchen supplies and suffered from a lack of food and water,” Najoud describes.

“Our only source of food was sometimes dry bread and a few canned goods, which were difficult to obtain due to high prices. Initially, we suffered from illnesses like constipation, difficulty digesting food, and diarrhoea due to the lack of vegetables and fruits.

“My children went to sleep hungry, and we had no clothes. Winter came, and it was cold.”

A change in approach

Islamic Relief has been helping Palestinian families in Gaza for nearly 30 years, and continued saving lives throughout this latest, terrible crisis. We adapted our usual Ramadan food distribution support programme: switching from our usual approach, providing family food parcels, to delivering more than 121,000 hot meals to approximately 75,000 people. We also worked with the World Food Programme to deliver an additional 300,000 hot meals every day through our emergency response.

Najoud was thankful for the support.

“They [Islamic Relief] provided us with a meal every day and helped us face the difficulties we encountered during the displacement. We received clothes and vegetable parcels from them, which diversified our diet and improved my children’s health, treating them from malnutrition.

“May God reward them for all they have provided for us, supporting us in every way with food, nutrition, vegetables, and psychological support. We hope that those in charge of this work will continue to provide us with these necessities.”

Since a ceasefire came into effect in January, families like Najoud’s are returning to their homes, but most are finding their houses and apartments – like the majority of buildings in Gaza – lie in ruins. The situation in the enclave remains catastrophic. Families on the brink of survival now face Ramadan grieving the loved ones they have lost and unsure where their next meal is coming from.

Islamic Relief food distributions this Ramadan will ease their hunger.

With your support and in the name of Allah, we will make sure the most vulnerable have food during the holy month. Together, we will ease their suffering. Donate to our Ramadan Appeal now.

A message from Islamic Relief CEO this Ramadan

As Ramadan begins, Islamic Relief Worldwide’s CEO, Waseem Ahmad, shares a message of thanks to our supporters.

As we prepare to enter the holy month of Ramadan, our thoughts are with our brothers and sisters around the world who are suffering, unable to spend quality time with their loved ones or even to find food with which to break their fasts.

I’m writing from Egypt, where I’ve spent this week packing up some of the 28,000 lifesaving Ramadan food parcels that Islamic Relief and our local partner Misr El Kheir will be delivering to Gaza.

Waseem has been helping pack Ramadan food parcels ready to be trucked into Gaza from Egypt

The crisis just across the border in Gaza is almost too catastrophic to properly describe. Hundreds of thousands of surviving families have no homes or schools to return to. For those that are sick or injured, there is no hospital to treat them. Entire neighbourhoods are now rubble, and everyone is grieving a loved one killed.

The levels of hunger there are shocking, and it is no exaggeration to say that these parcels of nutritious staples such as rice, pasta, beans and cheese, will be a lifeline for suffering families.

Since the outbreak of the crisis in Gaza, Islamic Relief’s team and partners on the ground have been delivering aid to hundreds of thousands of people in need. We’ve cooked around 70 million hot meals, sustained a daily water supply for many, provided education for children, and much more.

But the hunger crisis in Gaza remains desperate, and our team there needs more support. Since the ceasefire, we have started to see a lot more aid coming into Gaza, but it is still nowhere near enough compared to the massive needs.

Alhamdulilah, our food parcels will provide families with sustenance for the body and spirit. It is thanks to our incredible donors that we can make this happen and we ask that you continue to give generously during the holy month.

Supporting families in need worldwide

As well as Gaza, Egypt shares a border with Sudan, where our parcels are helping to ease the burden of people experiencing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Millions have been displaced, and famine has been confirmed in multiple areas of the country.

When I visited Sudan late last year, I was struck by the resilience of its people in the face of so much suffering. Many that I met had been forced to flee their homes with little more than the clothes on their backs only to have to relocate again and again in search of safety.

Hunger, displacement and uncertainty are also being keenly felt by our brothers and sisters in Syria. So much there has changed in recent months, but the humanitarian crisis that has gripped the country for almost 14 years remains a bitter reality for many.

Our Ramadan food parcels will reach vulnerable people in Gaza, Sudan, Syria and many more places around the world. They provide not only much needed sustenance and food with which to break fasts, but also, a peaceful moment for families to spend together, their burden eased by the generosity of our donors.

This Ramadan, when you join together with your families and loved ones, remember the many people around the world who need your help. Your kind donations and duas are appreciated more than words can express.

Last year, they helped us deliver more than 172,000 food parcels to families across 29 countries. This year, we hope to reach many more, insha’Allah. Please help us reach this goal. Donate to our Ramadan appeal now.

Jazakallah khairan

Ramadan kareem

Wasalaamu alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa barakatuh

After 500 days, Palestinians in Gaza suffer new daily horrors

Palestinians in Gaza are suffering daily new horrors despite the ceasefire, Islamic Relief says as the world marks 500 days of the escalation.

Hundreds of thousands of families remain homeless, forced to live in tents or temporary shelters, as more than 92% of homes have been damaged or destroyed by Israeli attacks and reconstruction has not yet begun. Families are still digging the bodies of loved from beneath 50 million tonnes of rubble that used to be homes, schools and health clinics, and neighbourhoods are now strewn with unexploded ordnance that have blown up and killed young children as they play or walk home.

The scale of destruction is unprecedented. Entire neighbourhoods and public services have been obliterated, and livelihoods shattered, and almost everyone left grieving. Israel’s attacks have systematically targeted every aspect of Gaza’s infrastructure and social fabric in a deliberate campaign to render Gaza unliveable.

Since the ceasefire there has been a big increase in aid allowed into Gaza, but it remains a drop in the ocean compared to the overwhelming needs. Although more food is now entering, there is still a desperate shortage of tents, medicine, fuel and heavy machinery for clearing rubble and repairing the damaged roads. Gaza remains under Israel’s illegal blockade that has been in place for almost 18 years, through which Israel controls the movement of all goods and people in and out of the territory and which has turned Gaza into the world’s largest open-air prison camp.

Islamic Relief has been able to scale up its work in Gaza since the ceasefire, reaching thousands more families all over the Strip. Since October 2023 Islamic Relief and partners have delivered aid including over 67 million hot cooked meals as well as supplying water, psychosocial support and physical rehabilitation for wounded children.

Yet, the ceasefire remains dangerously fragile and is being further undermined by rising Israeli attacks in the West Bank and growing threats to force Palestinians out of Gaza, which would amount to ethnic cleansing and must be opposed. International governments must not allow the ceasefire to collapse and must do all they can to ensure it becomes permanent.

The surge in Israeli attacks in the West Bank have caused the highest levels of displacement there in decades, with 40,000 Palestinians forced from their homes over the last few weeks amid deadly and indiscriminate bombardment, ground offensives and tightening restrictions on civilian movement.

International governments must ensure there is accountability for the horrors and crimes of the past 500 days. As Israel continues to violate international law through its ongoing occupation and attacks on civilians, we continue to call on governments to end the impunity and take concrete action including ending arms sales that continue to fuel further violations of international law.

Islamic Relief believes the ceasefire in Gaza must lead to a lasting peace, where all people can live in safety and dignity, with their fundamental human rights upheld. We believe this will only be possible when there is an end to Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. International governments must immediately outline how they will abide by the International Court of Justice’s July 2024 ruling that Israel’s illegal occupation must be ended as soon as possible

Two years on from Turkiye-Syria earthquakes, survivors are still in camps and need support

Two years on from the deadly Turkiye-Syria earthquakes, thousands of survivors are still languishing in harsh conditions in camps in northwest Syria, where they struggle to get enough food, water, healthcare or earn an income.

The 7.8 magnitude earthquakes, which struck on 6 February 2023, were the worst to hit the region in over a century, killing around 57,000 people and destroying or damaging more than 137,000 homes as well as vital services such as schools and health centres. The cost of recovery and reconstruction is estimated at up to $80 billion.

In the two years since, Islamic Relief has been helping to rebuild homes, services and livelihoods, but the charity says the pace of recovery is too slow.

Rajab Haj Salem, head of Islamic Relief’s office in Idlib in northwest Syria, said:

“It’s so sad to see the situation for earthquake survivors in the camps here.

Two years later, many of them are still traumatised by the earthquakes. They still relive the moment that ripped apart their entire lives. Many are doubly hurt by being stuck in camps and having to depend on aid. People just want support to rebuild their homes so they can leave the camps and live in dignity.

Conditions in the camps are very harsh, with shortages of almost everything, from food and water to healthcare and education. Many people don’t have dignified shelters and they can’t access jobs or a decent livelihood. In the winter months now it gets very cold and people’s tents get flooded or blown down by high winds.

Islamic Relief is providing aid in the camps and helping to rebuild homes and livelihoods, but it’s not enough. More international support is needed to help them recover. People in the camps message our staff, asking the world not to forget about them.”

Islamic Relief is working in the camps, delivering bread to over 10,000 families every day. It has built 643 homes for families, moving displaced residents out of their tents. We provide services including health centres, malnutrition clinics, education for children. We have given more than 40,000 families livelihood support including agriculture training, tools for farming, and investment to livestock. This is a priority in Syria where unemployment is a significant challenge and over 90% of people are living in poverty.

The earthquake survivors are among more than one million people living in camps in northwest Syria, with many other families made homeless by the horrific violence that people have endured over the past 14 years.

The end of the Assad government in December 2024 has brought many people hope of rebuilding a better future for Syria, but the country needs international support to recover from more than a decade of destruction and loss.

Turkiye also suffered devastating destruction from the earthquake, but there has been a much faster recovery.

Islamic Relief reaction to the announcement of a temporary cessation in Gaza

News of an agreement between Hamas and Israel is a rare moment of hope after more than 15 months of unprecedented and relentless atrocities – but the big test will be what happens next, whether it is adhered to, and whether a temporary pause becomes permanent. Lasting peace will not be possible without an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

For almost 500 days Israel has carried out daily massacres, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and starvation against Palestinian civilians in Gaza, as pleas for a ceasefire have been ignored. We have witnessed unimaginable death and destruction that has left the Gaza Strip in ruins, killed tens of thousands of people and left even more with life-changing wounds. International law has been trampled over with complete impunity as Israel has targeted hospitals, schools and shelters; forcibly relocated families; and cruelly blocked humanitarian aid from reaching survivors, killing babies from malnutrition and hypothermia.

Even as these negotiations entered the final stage, dozens more Palestinians have been killed in just the past 24 hours as Israeli bombs continued to rain down on shelters.

We pray this stops now. It’s vital that this agreement is now fully and immediately implemented, and that the initial temporary pause becomes a permanent ceasefire.

The humanitarian situation is catastrophic, and we hope this agreement will enable aid agencies to massively scale up assistance to help stop the threat of famine. Islamic Relief is ready to scale up our response, but previous promises to allow more aid in over the past year have been immediately broken. All restrictions on humanitarian access must now be lifted, and the international community must hold Israel accountable if aid continues to be blocked.

This agreement must lead to a lasting peace, with justice and accountability for the horrors perpetrated against civilians. We want to see a lasting peace where all people can live in safety and dignity, and have their fundamental human rights upheld. We believe this will not be possible until the root causes of the crisis are addressed and there is an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Ribuan orang hilang tempat tinggal di Sudan

KHARTOUM, 8 Jan – Konflik berterusan antara Angkatan Tentera Sudan (SAF) dan Pasukan Sokongan Pantas (RSF) telah menyebabkan ribuan keluarga kehilangan tempat tinggal, sekali gus memburukkan lagi krisis kemanusiaan di negara itu.

Kira-kira 3,150 keluarga telah dipindahkan dari Kutum dan Um Baru, Utara Darfur, antara 23 hingga 25 Disember 2024.

Dalam perkembangan positif, konvoi 28 trak membawa makanan dan bekalan perubatan berjaya tiba di Khartoum, menjadikannya penghantaran bantuan pertama ke ibu kota itu sejak perang bermula. Bekalan itu dihantar ke Hospital Al Bashayer dan beberapa pusat kemudahan lain, memberikan sedikit kelegaan kepada mereka yang memerlukan.

Pada 31 Disember 2024, Penyelaras Kemanusiaan PBB, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, melancarkan Pelan Keperluan dan Tindak Balas Kemanusiaan 2025, dengan sasaran dana $4.2 bilion (RM18.91 bilion) bagi membantu hampir 21 juta orang yang terjejas di Sudan.

Sumbangan Islamic Relief

Antara 29 Disember 2024 hingga 5 Januari 2025, Islamic Relief telah menyediakan bantuan penting kepada komuniti yang terjejas:

Bantuan makanan: Mengagihkan makanan kepada lebih 5,900 orang di Blue Nile dan 900 keluarga di Gedaref.
Perkhidmatan kesihatan: Memberikan rawatan kepada 141 pesakit melalui klinik bergerak di Kordofan Barat dan bantuan kewangan kepada 16 pesakit di Kordofan Utara.
Saringan pemakanan: Menjalankan saringan untuk 10,715 kanak-kanak dan 14,195 wanita hamil serta menyusukan anak di Darfur Tengah dan Kordofan Utara, dengan ramai yang dimasukkan ke program pemulihan pemakanan.
Bekalan air bersih: Menyediakan 287 tong air bersih kepada 178 keluarga di Kordofan Barat.
Kebersihan dan tempat tinggal: Mengagihkan kit kebersihan kepada 110 keluarga, mengadakan sesi kesedaran untuk 4,560 keluarga, dan mendirikan 139 khemah untuk keluarga yang kehilangan tempat tinggal di negeri Gedaref.

Ketika krisis semakin meruncing, Islamic Relief dan organisasi lain menyeru sokongan antarabangsa untuk membantu berjuta-juta orang yang memerlukan di Sudan.

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