Palestine Appeal

Islamic Relief has been working on the ground in Gaza since 1997. We have been providing humanitarian relief and serving as a lifeline for communities struggling with the devastating effects of the occupation and recurring conflict.

During this current conflict, Israel’s “total siege” on Gaza is preventing food, medicine, fuel or other vital supplies from entering, aside from a few dozen aid trucks at the Rafah (Egypt) and Kerem Shalom border crossings.

Islamic Relief working with NGOs such as the World Food Programme (WFP) to get aid into Gaza. Together, we have been able to remain on the ground, distributing life-saving supplies, including ready-to-eat meals, food packs, hygiene kits and blankets, to people in need directly within Gaza.

Despite the difficulties, we are able to successfully deliver aid into Gaza everyday. We are also constantly trying to get even more aid in and ensuring the most vulnerable members of Gaza’s population can receive urgent help first.

Despite the extremely difficult and dangerous situation, Islamic relief is helping thousands of people in Gaza with vital aid including:

• Medical items
• Food – food packs, food vouchers, fresh vegetables, hot meals, ready-to-eat items
• Water and WASH facilities
• Hygiene kits and hygiene items
• Psychosocial support
• Orphan sponsorship
• Eid Ul Fitr gifts
• Lipid-based nutrient supplement “LNS”

Our teams are working closely with international NGOs and local partner organisations to ensure aid can enter Gaza and be distributed directly to those most in need.

We are delivering aid everyday but the scale and location depend on the security situation, as the extremely heavy and indiscriminate bombing across Gaza means there is a high danger to our staff, our partners and the communities.

Islamic Relief is presently active in the Middle Area including Deir Al Balah, Zawayda, and Al Nusairat, as well as Khan Younis and Rafah. 

Our emergency response efforts are being conducted in collaboration with two local partners: one operating in the Middle Area and the other serving Rafah and Khan Younis. Each partner is assigned Islamic Relief staff to oversee project implementation.

The situation in North Gaza presents significant challenges for humanitarian aid distribution. The safety of our staff remains a priority, and attempts to distribute aid in the North have put that at risk. Overall, the compromised safety of Islamic Relief staff operating in North Gaza makes aid distributions unsafe at this time.

Prices in Gaza have surged dramatically. Supplies, though limited, are available but at a cost unaffordable to most. But this is where your donation makes the biggest difference! Your donations allow our team on the ground to secure essential items from local markets and suppliers and make them available to the people of Gaza – despite the limited supplies and surge in prices. 

Additionally, through our partnership with the WFP, we have access to food supplies coming in and are able to distribute these in an effective manner. Through your donations, we have implemented daily hot meals preparation, and that number continues to grow. 

Alhamdulilah, as of March 17th, out of all the WFP partners, Islamic Relief has been providing the highest number of people daily with hot meals and food aid in Gaza.

Most of our current interventions have relied on local procurement, but also procurement through Egypt. Islamic Relief has successfully facilitated aid trucks entering Gaza through the Egypt border crossing, which has helped to alleviate some of the pressure on the ground. We are also actively exploring additional avenues of aid through various border crossings. 

We are also sourcing other essential items locally. For example, Islamic Relief recently installed locally sourced and constructed portable toilets in Rafah. The initiative was part of our efforts to address urgent sanitation needs in the area. It’s important to note that while certain goods, such as food aid, remain a priority, other essential items, like sanitation facilities, are also prioritized to ensure basic needs are met.

However, there are huge challenges with the current crisis. The WFP has indicated that there are some food and supplies left but these are likely to run out soon unless the small amount of aid getting in across the Rafah border crossing from Egypt can be scaled up.

UNRWA, the main UN agency providing humanitarian aid to the population of Gaza, has donated all its remaining stock of flour to bakeries across the Gaza strip to enable them to produce bread at lower prices. We, at Islamic Relief are also calling on the international community to ensure that adequate aid gets through the Egyptian border to help the people of Gaza. Despite the obstacles, we remain committed to ensuring that critical aid reaches those in need in Gaza.

We continue to fund ongoing aid to address the immediate needs of entire communities in Gaza.

In Ramadan, we are distributing hot iftar meals to families in need. These meals consist of nutritious and culturally appropriate food items, ensuring that recipients can break their fast in a dignified manner.

For the additional funds that are coming in and those we are unable to use at the moment, we are assessing opportunities to invest in long-term development programming, including rebuilding efforts. Sustainable development programming is just as vital as providing emergency relief, so your donations will be used to uplift communities. 

In the current context, we primarily focus on addressing the need for immediate and life-saving support. The viability of sustained, long-term efforts hinges on maintaining consistent and secure humanitarian access. This is an unattainable position without an immediate and permanent ceasefire. 

Although plans are subject to change, we anticipate long-term activities to encompass livelihood initiatives such as cash-for-work and multi-purpose cash programs, as well as commitments to water, sanitation, and hygiene projects. We will likely extend our current psychosocial support programming for children to include entire families, focus on providing tailored therapy and care, and expand on recreational activities.

Islamic Relief has been working on the ground in Gaza since 1997. We have been there during previous conflicts and have stayed to assist with rebuilding communities.

From October 7^th, we have been able to respond rapidly to the needs of Palestinians, distributing existing stocks of food packs, medical supplies, water tanks and more.

We have also been able to remain on the ground. Thank you to our global partnerships with NGOs such as WFP, which allows us to distribute aid to Gazan most in need daily, despite the difficulties and constantly trying to get more aid trucks in.

Yes, our team in Gaza works with a range of local humanitarian partner organisations who have extensive experience in delivering emergency aid and long-term development in the region.

We also coordinate closely with other international humanitarian organisations and UN agencies to make the overall humanitarian response as effective and coordinated as possible. For instance, our partnership with the WFP allows our teams to distribute food items directly within Gaza, delivering ready-to-eat meals to civilians sheltering in schools without kitchens.

We have worked in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since 1997. We have a team of 17 staff – all of them Palestinians living in Gaza. A lot of our work and aid delivery is done in coordination with international and local humanitarian partner organisations.