For months now, a humanitarian emergency has been ongoing in Gaza—and the crisis grows worse by the day. Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA), an independent member of the global NGO Islamic Relief, is working with local partners in Palestine to deliver immediate emergency aid and relief from suffering. Through the organization’s ongoing Palestine Emergency Appeal, generous IRUSA donors are supporting a variety of lifesaving projects. Below is a closer look at the crisis and how IRUSA is responding. To learn more or to donate, go to irusa.org/middle-east/palestine.
Emergency in Palestine
Since regional tensions in Palestine escalated into widespread violence months ago, more than 33,000 people have been killed, and thousands more are missing or injured. In addition, over 13,000 children have been killed. A total blockade has prevented food, water, medicine, and fuel from entering Gaza, with predictably disastrous consequences for its 2 million people. People have already begun to die of hunger, and children as well as the elderly are the most vulnerable. The Associated Press reported that at least 20 people, mostly children, have died of malnutrition and dehydration at the Kamal Adwan and Shifa hospitals in northern Gaza. Even in the south, where the blockade isn’t as complete, people are affected by malnutrition. Famine is likely.
On March 18, the UNFAO Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared a Phase 5 (famine) classification for North Gaza and Gaza Governorates—a serious, rare declaration that reflects the “imminent onset of famine.” In the past 12 years, the IPC has only made two similar declarations.
Gaza’s healthcare system has almost completely collapsed. About one third of the region’s 36 hospitals are only partially functional—the rest have been destroyed or so severely damaged they cannot be used. Trained doctors and nurses and medicines are in short supply. Disease is a significant threat.
Meanwhile, bombardments have damaged or destroyed most (55.9%, per the Associated Press) buildings in Gaza. Over 60% of homes are destroyed, as are 90% of schools. For children, school is a distant memory. With their homes gone and the basic necessities of life difficult or impossible to obtain, some 1.9 million Gazans have been forcibly displaced—that’s around 85% of the population. These numbers are part of the larger tragedy of the Palestinian refugee crisis, which has been ongoing for decades. In total, upwards of 7 million Palestinians have been displaced from their homes.
Islamic Relief interventions and impact
While Palestinians live under a constant threat of violence, IRUSA hasn’t forgotten their plight. Around 80% of Palestinians are relying on humanitarian agencies like IRUSA to meet their basic needs.
Fortunately, the Islamic Relief family of organizations has been on the ground in Palestine for more than two decades and has longstanding, established relationships with local groups. This maximizes Islamic Relief’s ability to deliver aid fast, to the people and local organizations who need it most, at their time of greatest need.
Islamic Relief’s ongoing work in Palestine includes the following initiatives:
Food Aid
From January through July 2024, Islamic Relief is working to support 120,086 people with food aid. The organization seeks to provide more than 4 million meals to 90,000 people in Rafah, Khan Younis, Jabalia, and the Middle Area; 720,000 meals to 15,000 people in North Gaza; and 19,200 fresh produce baskets for 15,086 people. Additionally, from October 2023 to July 2024, Islamic Relief aims to deliver 6,790 ready-to-eat food parcels to 33,945 internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Healthcare
Islamic Relief’s healthcare initiatives benefit 4,000 people directly and 20,000 indirectly. Its work in this category includes deliveries of medical supplies to Al-Ahli Arab Hospital that will allow for the treatment of patients in critical condition, medical services at outpatient clinics, and psychosocial support for children and adults. Other shipments of medicines and medical supplies will benefit 53 healthcare facilities, including 27 in the West Bank and 26 in Gaza.
Everyday supplies
Islamic Relief seeks to provide more than 15,000 displaced persons with the everyday items they need. For example, the organization aims to provide gender-sensitive hygiene kits and emergency tent shelter to 1,865 households. During the cold winter months, warm blankets, mats, and mattresses will be distributed to more than 3,000 households.
For more details, see IRUSA’s 2024 Palestine Donor Report
Advocacy for Palestine
Beyond supporting Palestine through physical aid, IRUSA also raises awareness about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and advocates for an immediate, lasting ceasefire and end to the blockade.
Condemning the recent attacks on aid workers
IRUSA recently expressed its outrage at the Israeli attack that killed seven aid workers from the award-winning nonprofit World Central Kitchen (WCK) in Gaza on April 1. According to the BBC, the workers were traveling in a convoy, in three cars marked with the WCK logo, and were part of a larger effort to deliver 100 tons of food that had arrived by ship to a warehouse in Deir al-Balah. IDF drone-fired missiles hit the three cars.
These killings are not an isolated event. The United Nations has counted a total of 224 humanitarian aid workers killed since the start of the war. IRUSA describes Gaza as “the world’s most dangerous place to deliver aid.”
“We are outraged by yet another deadly attack on humanitarian workers trying to prevent a man-made famine,” said IRUSA in a press statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with everybody at World Central Kitchen.”
Calling for a permanent ceasefire
IRUSA calls for an immediate, permanent ceasefire to allow desperately needed humanitarian aid through the blockade in Gaza. The organization urges all parties to respect and uphold international humanitarian law, and to ensure that civilians are protected and have access to water, food, and power. If you would like to join IRUSA in its advocacy for Palestine, go to irusa.org/middle-east/palestine and click “Call for a Ceasefire.”