Palestinians in Gaza are facing the gravest threat to their existence for decades, Islamic Relief says as the world marks Nakba Day.
The Nakba, or “catastrophe”, refers to the mass expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland in 1948 and is commemorated annually on 15 May.
The dispossession that began in 1948 is a process that continues today with impunity. Palestinians in Gaza are being relentlessly bombed, starved, forced from their homes and threatened with permanent expulsion from their land. Senior Israeli officials have repeatedly stated their aim to make Gaza unliveable and force Palestinians out of the territory, or into confined areas that are effectively internment camps.
For 75 days Israel has shut off all aid and supplies such as food and medicine into Gaza, resulting in a humanitarian catastrophe. Children are starving to death as food runs out and famine conditions spread. Families are burnt alive as Israeli bombs tear through health centres, tents and shelters. Medics are operating in medieval conditions without electricity or painkillers. Almost every part of Palestinian infrastructure – homes, hospitals, schools, farms, shops – have been attacked and turned to rubble.
Over 70% of Gaza is now closed to Palestinians and either turned into Israeli military zones or under forced displacement orders. Hundreds of thousands of people have been ordered from their homes and herded into ever-shrinking areas, where deadly diseases are spreading due to severe overcrowding and destruction of sewage and water systems.
Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people and calls for Palestinians to be removed amount to ethnic cleansing. International governments must uphold their legal and moral obligations and act decisively to stop the ongoing atrocities, protect civilians and ensure Palestinians are not driven from their homeland. Failing to act makes them complicit in the destruction.
Today’s new famine alert for Gaza shows how Israel has turned starvation into a weapon of war. Palestinians are not just starving; they are being systematically starved.
For more than 2 months Israel has completely banned all food, medicine and other vital supplies from entering Gaza, and destroyed people’s means of producing their own food.
Now today’s new report by the UN-backed IPC finds at least half a million people face imminent starvation unless international governments pressure Israel to reopen the crossings and allow aid in. 93% of people in Gaza are now suffering severe hunger and food shortages, the report finds.
People are already dying from hunger. Doctors report that dozens of people – mostly young children – have starved to death in the past few weeks, and most families are going whole days without eating. People are scavenging through rubbish just to try and find scraps to eat. As food runs out, prices are rising out of reach for most people and some staple foods such as wheat flour have risen by 3000% since the crossings shut.
We know from experience around the world that formal famine declarations are often only made too late, after many people have already died from hunger and disease.
This starvation is not inevitable, it is a political choice. Trucks full of food and medicine are blocked from entering Gaza just a few miles away from where children are starving.
There is no excuse for inaction. Every minute that Israel’s siege remains in place puts more lives at risk. International governments must demand a ceasefire, an end to the siege, and full humanitarian access.
The newly announced plans to militarise aid distribution in Gaza will not stop famine spreading – they will make it worse and make further deaths inevitable. It is not a plan to provide humanitarian aid; it is a plan to weaponise it. Only an end to Israel’s siege and full reopening of the crossings for humanitarian aid can save lives now.
Islamic Relief is ready to respond to increasing humanitarian needs as tensions rise between India and Pakistan. Any further military escalation is likely to have a devastating impact on huge numbers of civilians.
Dozens of people, including young children, have been killed and wounded in recent days by the biggest escalation the region has seen for years. Airstrikes, shelling and drones have struck infrastructure across both sides of the Line of Control, and at least 1 child was killed when a missile badly damaged a mosque in Bahawalpur in Punjab region in eastern Pakistan.
Islamic Relief aid workers in Pakistan-administered Kashmir report that dozens of families have already fled their homes and sought shelter in school classrooms that local authorities have designated as temporary camps. Large numbers of people are likely to flee if the situation deteriorates further, and a big increase in casualties and displacement will quickly overwhelm essential services such as hospitals, school shelters and water supplies. Schools in many areas have already closed indefinitely, and hospitals across Pakistan have declared a state of emergency.
As political tensions rise, farmers are warning that the suspension of the Indus water treaty between India and Pakistan will severely impact agriculture and exacerbate poverty and hunger. The suspension of the agreement has cut off water supply to around 80% of Pakistan’s irrigated agriculture, upon which many poor families depend.
Islamic Relief Pakistan’s emergency response team is coordinating with local disaster management authorities to support the provision of emergency relief supplies in case of major displacement – including items such as shelter material, water, hygiene kits and blankets.
The humanitarian impact of any further escalation is likely to be enormous, and we call for diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions and find a solution through political dialogue rather than military action.
ISTANBUL, Apr 24 — A powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Silivri in the Sea of Marmara approximately 40 kilometres southwest of Istanbul on Tuesday afternoon.
The quake was strongly felt across Istanbul and neighbouring provinces, including Tekirdağ, Yalova, Bursa, Sakarya, and Balıkesir.
The tremor, which lasted around 13 seconds, triggered widespread panic and was followed by 266 aftershocks, including a significant 5.9-magnitude quake and nine others above magnitude 4.
While no fatalities have been reported, 236 individuals were injured mainly due to panic-related incidents such as jumping from high places in an attempt to escape.
There have been no major reports of structural damage, though assessments are still ongoing. Hospitals and emergency services remain fully operational.
As a precaution, schools in Istanbul have been closed until Monday, 28 April 2025. Several educational institutions and government buildings have been opened as temporary shelters, providing WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) facilities and basic support to individuals hesitant to return home due to continuing tremors and anxiety.
Islamic Relief has confirmed that all staff members in Istanbul are safe and well, Alhamdulillah. Our team is actively monitoring the situation on the ground and remains ready to mobilize humanitarian support should the need arise.
In the aftermath of the quake, Türkiye’s national emergency response protocol was swiftly activated, with Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and the Turkish Red Crescent (Türk Kızılayı) leading coordination efforts.
Emergency services were deployed to provide shelter, basic needs, psychosocial support, and WASH assistance to affected communities.
Islamic Relief continues to pray for the safety, strength, and resilience of the people of Türkiye during this challenging time.
Since 2 March, Israeli authorities have reinstated a complete siege on Gaza, blocking all aid and commercial goods from entering for more than six weeks to date. This marks the longest period the Government of Israel has blocked all aid and goods from entering Gaza in history.
Since 18 March, attacks by Israeli forces in Gaza have killed over 1,630 Palestinians, injured more than 4,200, and forcibly displaced over 419,300. The Palestinian death toll now nears 51,000 in Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health, and is approaching 1,000 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The UN Secretary-General has called Gaza a “killing field” and warned that civilians in Gaza are in an “endless death loop”. The weaponization of aid, including withholding food, water, health care, and shelter, has led to a surge in preventable deaths and threatens the dignity and survival of Palestinians in Gaza.
A new survey of 47 international and Palestinian NGOs, conducted as part of the 11th issue of the NGO Humanitarian Access Snapshot, has found:
95% of agencies reported suspending or reducing services in Gaza since 18 March.
At least 8,881 pallets of aid supplies remain stranded outside Gaza, blocked from entering.
95% of NGOs are facing an increase in movement restrictions across the West Bank too.
The Israeli military has made 70% of Gaza into no-go areas.
At least 61 aid workers killed or injured since 1 January, and at least 412 killed since October 2023.
More than 2 years ago, war erupted in Sudan, tearing apart lives, homes, and futures. Since then, millions have been displaced, thousands killed, and countless families left with nothing. Among them is Abu Bakr Bano Mohammed Hamed, a 43-year-old farmer from Sharq Al-Bahar.
His story is one of unimaginable loss, but also of strength, faith, and the urgent need for peace.
They left us with nothing
Abu Bakr, a father of 2, once tended to 15 acres of land, growing chilli, mint, and onions; he was his family’s only source of income. But in an instant, everything was stolen from him.
“They kicked us out of our village, beat us, and told us the land belonged to them now,” he recalls. “They whipped us, stole our cars, took our crops, even the money we had saved. They left us with nothing.”
With no time to gather belongings, Abu Bakr, his wife, and their children joined the exodus of displaced families. The journey to Gedaref [MG1] in eastern Sudan, a region now overwhelmed with displaced families, was a nightmare.
“For 2 days, we had no food, no water, not even tea,” he says. “The elders suffered the most. Some were too weak to move. We had to leave behind the sick because we had no way to carry them.”
The roads were controlled by armed men, forcing them to take dangerous detours. At one point, they passed a village where even the solar-powered water pumps, once a lifeline for thirsty travellers, had been seized by fighters.
“They took everything,” Abu Bakr repeats, as if still trying to make sense of it. “Even the medicine from the hospital. They left nothing.”
Displaced families gather in a makeshift shelter in Gedaref. With no formal camps available, many rely on community support and humanitarian aid to survive
A nation shattered
When they finally reached Gedaref, there was no shelter waiting for them. No aid. Just thousands of other displaced families, all equally desperate.
“We slept under trees at first,” Abu Bakr says. “Then, with the help of some community members, we set up a makeshift tent.”
Sanitation is dire. There are not enough latrines. Diseases spread quickly. Food is scarce.
Yet even in these conditions, acts of kindness have kept them going. Many local people opened their homes and shared what little they had, providing newly arrived families with shelter and food. Islamic Relief was among the first organisations to deliver food: lentils, rice, sugar, and cooking oil.
“They even brought us bread from the bakery,” Abu Bakr says. “May Allah bless them.”
But these provisions are a temporary reprieve, not a solution.
“What we need most is safety,” he stresses. “And a way to earn a living again. Right now, we have nothing.”
Overcrowded living conditions in a displacement camp. Limited sanitation and scarce resources have led to disease outbreaks among vulnerable families
Wounds of war
The physical deprivation is only part of the suffering. The psychological toll is crushing.
“Honestly, it’s indescribable,” Abu Bakr says when asked about his mental state. “I am so upset, not just for myself, but for all of Sudan. I don’t think we will ever recover from this.”
His children, once carefree, are now withdrawn. His wife struggles with fear and grief. The betrayal cuts deepest, many of the attackers were once neighbours, even friends.
“They ate with us, worked beside us, then turned on us,” he says. “When they came for our village, they were wearing RSF uniforms. They pointed guns at us and said, ‘This land is ours now.’”
Abu Bakr, a 43-year-old farmer displaced from Sharq Al-Bahar. Like thousands of others, he lost everything when armed groups seized their land and possessions
A plea for peace
When asked what he would say to the international community, Abu Bakr’s answer is immediate:
“Stand with the people of Sudan. We are innocent. We need peace.”
Years of war have brought unimaginable suffering, yet the world’s attention has faded. Humanitarian aid is insufficient. Diplomatic efforts have stalled. Meanwhile, millions of Sudanese civilians – farmers like Abu Bakr, mothers, children, the elderly – are trapped in a crisis not of their making.
His dream for the future is simple:
“For the war to end, and for everyone to return home safely.”
Islamic Relief has worked in Sudan for 40 years, providing vital humanitarian assistance including hygiene, food and mental health support. Please support our life-saving work by donating to our International Emergency today.
