Angka korban di Gaza terus meningkat

GAZA, 9 Ogos 2022 – Sekurang-kurangnya 46 orang terkorban termasuk 16 kanak-kanak, manakala 360 lagi cedera dalam serangan yang dilancarkan di Gaza.

Serangan udara yang dilancarkan telah merosakkan 1,761 buah rumah, serta mengakibatkan 450 rakyat Palestin hilang tempat tinggal dan 8,500 orang lagi terjejas ekoran insiden yang berlaku.

Terbaharu, gencatan senjata telah dikuatkuasakan bermula 7 Ogos.

Pusat janakuasa elektrik yang ditutup pada 6 Ogos lalu berikutan kerosakan yang dialami kini sudah mula beroperasi.

Pintu sempadan Gaza masih ditutup sejak enam hari lalu.

Menurut Kementerian Kesihatan Palestin, pusat kesihatan di Gaza hanya mampu beroperasi sehingga 72 jam sahaja lagi kerana kekurangan alatan perubatan dan bekalan ubat.

Islamic Relief kini sedang bekerjasama dengan organisasi tempatan dan antarabangsa dalam menjalankan penilaian keperluan mendesak untuk mengagihkan bantuan kecemasan seperti makanan, baucar tunai dan kit kebersihan kepada penduduk terjejas.

Islamic Relief calls for immediate end to escalating violence against civilians in Gaza

Islamic Relief is calling for Israel to immediately end the escalating violence against civilians in Gaza and to re-open the crossings where people and goods can enter and leave the enclave.

At least 29 Palestinians, including six children, have already been killed since Friday evening and Israel has said that it plans to step up military operations in the coming week. More than 250 Palestinians have reportedly been injured, including many children, and Islamic Relief is warning that further strikes will inevitably increase civilian casualties. Palestinian armed groups have also intensified rocket fire into Israel after the bombing, injuring seven Israelis. Islamic Relief condemns all violence against civilians.

Muneeb Abu Ghazaleh, head of Islamic Relief in Gaza, says:

“We’ve already seen children killed and homes badly damaged in the past 24 hours. Right now civilians in Gaza are terrified of what the next few days will bring. We know from previous years that when the bombing increases it is overwhelmingly civilians who are killed, injured and forced from their homes. During last year’s bombing campaign more than a quarter of all casualties were children, and thousands of homes, hospitals, schools and health centres were destroyed or damaged.

“As well as the bombing, in recent days Israel has closed the two crossings in and out of Gaza, stopping deliveries of fuel that are needed to keep hospitals, water systems and the electricity supply running. Now power is running out, we are facing power cuts of 20 hours a day and vital public services are at risk of shutting down.

“It is vital that the international community puts pressure on Israel to immediately cease bombing and re-open the crossings.”

Islamic Relief calls for respect for international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, precaution and proportionality. Civilians and civilian infrastructure must never be targeted and excessive and disproportionate force must not be used.

The latest escalation comes just over 14 months since the May 2021 ceasefire between Israel and Hamas following 11 days of bombing that killed at least 230 Palestinians, including 65 children, and wounded more than 1,700. Ten Israelis were killed. More than 14,000 Palestinian homes were damaged or completely destroyed. The ceasefire brought a temporary calm but nothing was done to address the root causes of the crisis and address the injustice and inequality at the heart of the ongoing Israeli occupation. Islamic Relief is calling for an end to the Israeli occupation, and the blockade of Gaza that accompanies it, and for a lasting solution that is rooted in international law and justice.

The situation in Gaza is horrendous. The 15-year-old Israeli blockade cuts people in Gaza off from other Palestinians and the wider world. It imposes tight restrictions on the movement of people and goods – preventing families from seeing each other, crippling essential services, and cutting off markets. It has turned Gaza’s once-vibrant economy into an area where 80 per cent of people now have to rely on aid and many children go to bed hungry at night. Gaza now has some of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world.

About Islamic Relief

Islamic Relief is a faith-inspired, development and humanitarian agency working to transform and save the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in over 40 countries. Islamic Relief assists people according to need and does not discriminate in any way.

Set up in Birmingham in 1984 by a group of volunteers, we have assisted over 117 million people all over the world. We’re saving lives and empowering people to lift themselves out of poverty in over 40 countries – from Bangladesh to Bosnia, Pakistan to Palestine, Kenya to Kosovo. Islamic Relief is on the ground in some of the world’s most dangerous and difficult places – including Syria and Yemen – strengthening the most marginalised communities to withstand conflict and natural disasters and to build a brighter future.

Hujan Lebat dan Banjir Kilat di Pakistan Semakin Memburuk

PAKISTAN, 3 Ogos 2022 – Sekurang-kurangnya 419 orang terkorban, manakala 500 lagi cedera setakat 30 Julai lalu, ekoran hujan lebat serta banjir kilat yang melanda Pakistan.

Sebanyak 34,940 buah rumah musnah, 61 jambatan runtuh dan 24,420 haiwan terkorban.

Turut dilaporkan terjejas, deretan kedai, jalan raya serta lebih 800 bangunan sekolah.

Bencana yang melanda telah menyebabkan kerugian besar meliputi kawasan Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa dan Punjab.

Daerah Quetta, Balochistan telah diisytiharkan darurat kerana paling teruk terjejas.

Islamic Relief kini sedang bekerjasama dengan pihak berkuasa tempatan serta agensi lain, sementara kakitangan Islamic Relief pula sedang giat menjalankan penilaian keperluan mendesak bagi mengenal pasti dan merangka pelan bantuan kecemasan untuk penduduk terjejas.

Islamic Relief giat bantu penduduk terjejas banjir di Bangladesh

BANGLADESH, 22 Jun 2022 – Lebih 100 orang terkorban akibat banjir buruk yang melanda Bangladesh dan India sementara jutaan lagi penduduk terkandas tanpa bekalan air dan makanan yang mencukupi.

Bencana ini telah menyebabkan kerosakan besar pada ladang, rumah dan harta benda.

Islamic Relief Bangladesh mula memberi respon segera bagi membantu penduduk terjejas sejak 27 Mei lalu melibatkan agihan bantuan pek makanan, kit kebersihan dan wang tunai.

Selain itu, taklimat mengenai penjagaan kebersihan dan perlindungan ketika banjir turut dijalankan, manakala kerja-kerja mencari, menyelamat serta memindahkan penduduk terjejas masih giat dilakukan di kawasan Sylhet dan Sunamganj.

Menurut Akmal Shareef, Pengarah Negara Islamic Relief Bangladesh, salah satu pejabat lapangan Islamic Relief turut ditenggelami air, namun gerak kerja membantu penduduk terjejas terus giat dijalankan memandangkan kebanyakan penduduk terjejas sudah mula kekurangan bekalan makanan dan memerlukan bantuan segera untuk meneruskan survival.

“We didn’t know the value of peace, until we didn’t have it anymore”

Today marks World Refugee Day, a day dedicated to honouring refugees from around the world. This year, we’re shedding light on 75-year-old Bayan’s story, whose family were forced to hide in the wilderness without food or drink in order to escape conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia. Now, thanks to Islamic Relief’s project which is supporting Tigray refugees, he and his family live in a camp in Sudan, where he uses his Arabic language skills to help the community.

Bayan fled his hometown of Barakht village, Humara, Ethiopia, after armed groups invaded the town. When gunfire erupted, he and his family had to leave all their belongings behind and

“I will never forget that day. My world collapsed when the violence broke out and I couldn’t believe what was happening. Everyone was panicking as we heard gunshots and people screaming. It’s the type of thing you see on the news, but don’t expect to be caught up in.

“My wife was cooking when the war began. We went from making lunch for the children to picking them up and running for our lives. It was intense. A lot of people were killed, and some were injured. We didn’t know the value of peace, until we didn’t have it anymore” says Bayan, describing how he lived happily with his wife, children and grandchildren before the conflict began.

Finding hope after loss

After fleeing his home and struggling without food and shelter, Bayan eventually settled in Tunaydbah camp in eastern Sudan.

“We had a good life at home. I miss spending time with my friends and having freedom. Life in the camp is difficult and we don’t have many food options. We only have oil, lentils and bread, and need other things like vegetables and sugar to have a more balanced diet. However, these items are difficult to get hold of.

“We have health clinics in the camp, but there is a shortage of medicines. Accessing education is also difficult here, and my youngest son is unable to go to school”, says Bayan.

Despite the challenges of adjusting to a new life at the camp, Bayan has hope that peace will be restored in his country and spends his time supporting other Ethiopian refugees in the camp.

“A lot of people in my community, especially the women, don’t understand the language here. They need help and I try to support them,” explains Bayan, who speaks Arabic which is the official language in Sudan. He is now considered to be a community leader in the camp.

“God tells us never to lose hope”, he says.

An urgent call for support

Refugees in Ethiopia and Sudan are in urgent need of help amid a dire humanitarian situation. Continual droughts amid conflict in several countries in the horn of Africa has left many families extremely vulnerable. Millions of people do not know where their next meal is coming from amid livestock deaths, soaring food prices, and water scarcity.

There is a risk of food running out in refugee camps, which will mean that families will be forced to sell their few belongings or resort to dangerous measures to be able to feed their children.

Islamic Relief is working to support around 30,000 refugees in Tunaydbah and other camps in the Gedarif state of Sudan. We’re providing those living in camps with food, water, sanitation and hygiene items and education support. We have also installed a new solar-powered lighting system in Tunaydbah camp to help keep people safe at night.

We urgently need your help to continue this vital work: please donate to support our crucial work to support refugees and migrants.

 

 

“I was scared for my life so I fled with my family, mother and brother. We had to pay 2,000 Ethiopian birr ($44) to cross the Blue Nile river to Sudan.”

“I have two daughters, Ledia, 8-years-old, and Salam, 2-years-old.

“I used to be a store keeper for 10 years back home. I searched for a job here but with no luck. My husband works as a labourer in the camp.

“WFP provides us with monthly food rations. Water is accessible and clean but we don’t have medicine. My eldest daughter goes to school in grade 1. She is facing a difficulty adjusting to Sudan’s education system. The children lack child friendly spaces here.

“I cook for my family and wash my children’s clothes and use the bathing facility.

“I know about Islamic Relief from Qurbani distributions. I ate good meat; I haven’t eaten meat for 6 months.

“Before Islamic Relief constructed the bathing facility, I used to bathe my children in a basin at my tent. The dirty water accumulated on the ground which caused flies to infest the area. The bathing facility is more hygienic because it has a drainage system.”

Barakhti’s brother, Mabrahtum, is a teacher of 11 years. He is currently an English teacher at Islamic Relief’s Education Cannot Wait (ECW) schools.

Mabrahtum (which literally translates to enlightment) says, “I love teaching, I like to see children have more knowledge. I raise awareness on hygiene among high school students. I don’t allow children to play around latrines to protect them from falling into the latrine and from diseases.

“I need a job.

“I wish for peace and to go back to my country. I also hope my children have a proper education.

“I would like to thank Islamic Relief for constructing the bathing facility.”