In Gaza, Israel is relentlessly and indiscriminately attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure. They are blocking humanitarian aid from reaching starving people, and repeatedly forcing families from their homes and shelters and herding them into shrinking pockets of territory.  

This has caused a humanitarian catastrophe of indescribable proportions. One that has been going on for nearly a year. The death toll is shocking, with civilians being killed and wounded at a faster rate than any conflict this century. More children have been killed in Gaza than in the last 4 years of all global wars combined. 

Now Israel is also expanding its attacks and human rights violations on Palestinians in the West Bank as well.  

We are seeing unprecedented levels of displacement, with almost everyone in Gaza now forced from their homes. 1.9 million people – around 90% of the population – have been displaced, many of them multiple times.  

The so-called ‘evacuation orders’ are pushing people into an overcrowded area where population density has surged to 30-40,000 people per square kilometre, compared to just 1,200 people per square km before 7 October. 

As a result, most displaced people are now sheltering in horrific conditions. Multiple families are sharing a single tent as there are not enough tents to distribute, while others are sleeping in the open or in bomb-damaged buildings that could collapse at any point.  

There is little clean water or decent sanitation, and streams of raw sewage run close to tents, with mounting risk of diseases like cholera, polio and respiratory Infections. In a few months, winter will be upon us with people sleeping in flimsy tents or outside on the freezing nights. 

Despite the extremely difficult and dangerous situation, the Islamic Relief team in Gaza is working closely with local and international partner organisations to deliver vital aid to people in need.  

Most of our own staff and partners have themselves been displaced multiple times and have lost relatives and loved ones, but they are still working tirelessly.  

Since the crisis escalated in October 2023, we have spent more than $44 million AUD in aid in Gaza.

We distribute aid every day. This includes food, where we currently provide hot meals to around 140,000 people a day. For many of these families this is the only meal they get to eat each day. Other food aid includes Qurbani, vegetable packs, food parcels and food vouchers.

We are also provideing Lipid-based Nutrition Supplement (LNS) to young children, pregnant women and breastfeeding women. LNS provides concentrated doses of energy, protein, micronutrients, and essential fatty acids, designed to address
malnutrition before it becomes life-threatening. 

Our psychosocial support includes running games, entertainment, and fun activities for displaced children who have experienced incredibly traumatic events. These activities provide them with a rare moment of fun and normality. 

We’ve provided hygiene and dignity kits including things like soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, sanitary pads and menstrual hygiene items. We are also providing cleaning service and hygiene supplies to shelters where displaced families are sheltering.  

Other essential aid also includes items such as blankets, mattresses, and kitchen kits. We are also providing sanitation facilities, and are currently providing water supplies to on average around 55,000 people a day. 

We currently support a healthcare facility that serves nearly 10,000 people. At the very start of the escalation, we also distributed medical supplies to support several hospitals and health facilities across Gaza as they treated wounded civilians.  

We’ve expanded our orphan program, and we now sponsor and transfer money to the families of 11,776 children in Gaza, to help them buy supplies or find shelter at this critical time.  

We are responding all over Gaza, as the situation and access evolves. Right now, most of our distributions are in the Middle Area, Khan Younis, Deir al Balah, Gaza City and other parts of northern Gaza. The scale and location of our work depends on the security situation and the amount of aid and commercial supplies permitted to enter Gaza. 

To deliver aid, the Islamic Relief team based in Gaza works closely with local and international humanitarian partner organisations. As always, local aid workers and community-based organisations are at the forefront of the humanitarian response. 

We have worked in Gaza for over 25 years and we have long-established partnerships with numerous local Palestinian organisations. During this emergency we are working closely with 6 of these local partners. All who work in different areas throughout Gaza and help us carry out our daily distributions and other activities. 

We also work with international organisations. Our largest partnership is with the UN World Food Programme (WFP), and we are now their biggest NGO partner in Gaza. Since the partnership began in early 2024, we have so far cooked and distributed over 29 million* hot meals and are currently providing food to around 140,000 people a day. Together we cook daily ready-to-eat meals for families who are now living in overcrowded shelters, at risk of malnutrition and disease. Most do not have access to cooking equipment or cooking gas, so providing cooked meals is most effective. For many of these families it is the only meal they get to eat each day. 

Through the WFP partnership we’ve also provided Lipid-based Nutrition Supplement (LNS) for over 30,000 vulnerable people on a monthly basis, including young children, pregnant women and breastfeeding women. Together we have also provided more than 164,000 ready-to-eat food parcels. 

(*Islamic Relief is also cooking hot meals through other projects, so the cumulative total of meals cooked given is higher). 

Israel is preventing adequate aid from reaching people in Gaza, through its ongoing blockade and bombing.

Gaza has been under 17 years of Israeli blockade. This restricts the movement of goods and people in and out of Gaza through tightly controlled crossings, and cuts Gaza off from the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and the rest of the world. It prevents people in Gaza from seeing their relatives in the West Bank, accessing medical treatment, and selling produce in markets.

The blockade has devastated Gaza’s once thriving economy, crippled basic services such as healthcare and sanitation, and left a generation of youth in despair.

On 7 October 2023, Israel tightened the blockade further and declared a ‘total siege’ closing all crossings and cutting off all food, medicine, fuel and other supplies.

While Israel has partially reopened crossings for some limited supplies, it is nowhere near enough. The amount of aid allowed into Gaza has never reached pre-October levels, despite the massively increased needs.

Hundreds of trucks of humanitarian aid are needed every day to respond to the current crisis, yet the number of aid trucks getting in has dropped every month since April 2024.

Currently, there has been an increase in commercial trucks allowed to enter Gaza. The increased commercial supply has helped to restock some markets, but prices are high and out of reach for many people.

Even when crossings are open, Israel screens and controls all aid and other supplies going into Gaza. The crossings are only open for limited hours and aid is screened multiple times, and then sometimes removed on the basis of being ‘dual use’, i.e. goods intended for civilians that Israel claims could potentially also be used for military purposes. This can arbitrarily be applied to almost anything. There are reports of cancer medicine, anaesthetics, water filters, solar panels, surgical scissors, zipped sleeping bags and even pitted fruit and olives being removed from trucks and denied entry.

Then, even when aid does get into Gaza, there are multiple challenges. The Israeli military frequently refuses access to many areas. The ongoing bombing and attacks on aid workers and civilians, along with the badly damaged roads and unexploded ordnance (UXOs), make it extremely dangerous and difficult to deliver aid. In the last few months, hundreds of civilians have also been shot while trying to get food aid from trucks.

As well as insecurity, other factors such as the lack of cash available in Gaza, the frequent disruption to internet and telecommunications infrastructure, and the shortages of fuel available, also create challenges for the humanitarian response.

The situation is extremely fluid and changes regularly. On some days some routes are possible and then suddenly they close again, and vice versa. There must be consistent access for humanitarian aid.

We are constantly exploring and reassessing ways to get aid into Gaza, and we have been able to get aid in – but it is nowhere near as much as we would like, or as is needed.

Currently, most aid that we are distributing comes in via commercial suppliers, mostly through the Kerem Shalom crossing, which we then procure once it is within Gaza.

We have also distributed aid that has entered Gaza via UN trucks. However, in recent months fewer of these have been allowed to enter.

We have also brought a small amount of aid in ourselves, such as blankets and food packs. Most recently (at the start of August) we sent trucks from Jordan with hygiene products such as sanitary pads and nappies (diapers) that entered Gaza through the Erez West crossing.

Ultimately only a ceasefire and end to Israel’s blockade will ensure that enough aid can get in.

Islamic Relief is calling for an end to the ongoing massacre and for international law to be upheld.  

Under international law, parties to conflict have a duty to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and to ensure that civilians can access essentials such as food, water, medical services and power. In the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) that duty is clearly not being met. In fact, it is being completely ignored and violated with impunity. 

There must be urgent action to address the current humanitarian catastrophe. There must be an immediate and permanent ceasefire, to protect civilian lives and enable more aid to reach people in need.  

Israel must end its blockade of Gaza and ensure safe, unimpeded humanitarian access. They must allow entry of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and critical supplies such as fuel into Gaza, in sufficient quantity to match the enormity of the crisis. This includes opening all crossing points and expanding its capacity and opening times. Israel must also restore power and water supplies, and end attacks on humanitarian workers. 

We are calling on international governments and bodies to use all the political, economic and diplomatic leverage they have at their disposal. Governments should immediately halt arms licences and exports to the Government of Israel. They need to review the human rights obligations of any political agreements and ensure the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) are adhered to, and that there are consequences for violations.  

Ultimately, there must be an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine. In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israel’s massive expansion of settlements and associated infrastructure has confiscated land and restricted access to markets, farms and essential services. The occupation separates families and loved ones, cutting off Gaza from the West Bank, and impedes the hopes and dreams of future generations. 

Islamic Relief wants to see a future where Palestinians can live in safety and dignity and have their fundamental human rights upheld. We believe that this will not ultimately be possible until there is an end to the Occupation. 

For many people in Gaza, the aid that is getting in is their only lifeline and the meals we provide are the only food they eat that day. Islamic Relief offices around the world have launched emergency appeals to help us provide lifesaving aid. Those donations are having a huge impact and will help us continue to provide aid in Gaza. We urge anyone who can to please donate to our appeals. 

But humanitarian aid alone is not enough. People in Gaza urgently need political action to stop the massacre. Many Islamic Relief offices are also running campaigns to pressure governments and policymakers to take action. Please keep writing to your political representatives and call on them to demand an immediate ceasefire and end to Israel’s siege. 

The situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has been deteriorating for some time, with rising violence and human rights violations against Palestinian civilians.  

Even before the 7 October escalation, 2023 was already the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank for almost 20 years, since the end of the second Intifada. At least 652 Palestinians have been killed there since 7 October, including many children, and thousands more have been injured.  

Israel has tightened restrictions on Palestinian movement, especially in areas such as Hebron and Jenin, cutting people off from their livelihoods, essential services and relatives. Palestinian civilians often face harassment, humiliation, detention, and assault when trying to pass Israeli military checkpoints. Medical staff and humanitarian workers trying to help injured civilians have themselves been assaulted and prevented from accessing people in need.  

As well as rising attacks by Israeli forces, we are seeing a massive increase in violence and intimidation of Palestinian villagers by armed Israeli settlers. OCHA recorded an average of around four attacks a day since 7 October — more than 1300 attacks in total. Settler attacks have killed and injured Palestinian civilians, damaged homes, chopped down thousands of olive trees, stolen agricultural equipment and attacked aid convoys heading to Gaza.  

Israel has also stepped up the demolition of Palestinian homes and other structures such as agricultural facilities or schools – in 2023 at least 1,129 such demolitions were recorded, the highest annual total since the UN started tracking the data almost 20 years ago. In the 11 months since 7 October this has increased even further, with 1,478 Palestinian structures demolished. Around 3,500 Palestinians have been displaced as a result. 

Yes. We are still able to help families through our orphan sponsorship program, even in the current crisis when support is most needed and less easy to deliver. 

Our long-term orphan sponsorship program provides cash transfers that help provide orphaned children and youth* with food, shelter, education, healthcare and other necessities. Our sponsorship program in Gaza and the West Bank is still active. Having recently expanded it, we now sponsor 11,776 orphans in Gaza. 

 We are utterly heartbroken that some of the orphans we sponsor have been killed. In June, at least 117 children and young people who have received Islamic Relief sponsorship have been killed since October 2023, as well as at least 72 of their guardians. The youngest orphan child killed was just 5 years old. Many have previously lost their parents and have now lost their remaining guardian. Given the ongoing crisis, we expect this number is likely to increase.  

We were particularly appalled at the killing of Mohammad Bhar, the young man with Down’s syndrome and autism who was mauled to death by an Israeli military dog. He and his mother had been part of our sponsorship program since Mohammad was just two years old. We continue to call for an independent investigation into his death, and for all responsible to be held accountable.  

As the need for orphan sponsorship has massively increased, we welcome new donations for this. Accessing cash is extremely challenging for many families in Gaza, as lots of banks have shut, but we continue to transfer funds to guardians and orphans in Gaza using the payment system of the UN World Food Programme, through which families receive an SMS code with which they can withdraw money from supermarkets.  

*Islamic Relief begins sponsoring orphan children under the age of 18, however we continue to sponsor them after 18 if they remain enrolled in education. 

Nobody is truly safe in Gaza right now. But we are relieved that so far, no Islamic Relief staff have been injured or killed – although several staff have had family members killed in the bombardment.

Like most people in Gaza, most of our staff have themselves had to flee their homes and are trying to keep themselves and their families safe at the same time as delivering lifesaving aid.  

In the past year, Islamic Relief’s office in Gaza City was badly damaged by bombing, and bombs have fallen nearby as our staff provided civilians with aid. In August a deadly attack on al-Tabeen school, where Islamic Relief was delivering daily food distributions, killed dozens of civilians.  

Amid the constant danger, we are doing all we can to support them at this time. However, when there is heavy and indiscriminate bombing in populated neighbourhoods, it is impossible to guarantee anyone’s safety.

Gaza is now one of the world’s most severe hunger crises, due to the Israeli attacks and restrictions on aid that are starving Palestinians. More than 1.1 million lives are at imminent risk of famine.

The UN has reported famine conditions in parts of Gaza, especially in the north. The most recent projections from the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) show that almost all (96%) of the population is now facing severe food shortages, with 495,000 people facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity at the most extreme level. A further 745,000 people face emergency levels of food insecurity. 

At least 50,000 children now require treatment for acute malnutrition. Pregnant women and new mothers are also at especially high risk of malnutrition. Furthermore, many new mothers face dehydration because they can’t get enough water, making it even harder for them to breastfeed.

Islamic Relief staff on the ground report most families now going whole days without eating anything at all. As well as children eating leaves or grass to survive and roaming rubble-filled streets searching for whatever scraps of food they can find.

As well as blocking aid, Israeli military action has destroyed Gaza’s capacity to produce food. 60-70% of meat and dairy-producing livestock have been killed, and 65% of agricultural land has been destroyed. Around 70% of Gaza’s fishing fleet is destroyed, and fishermen are routinely shot at if they go to sea. Most bakeries shut down early in the crisis as they were either bombed or ran out of fuel, water, and flour. Gradually, some reopened and started providing bread, but many frequently have to shut again due to lack of cooking gas or attacks.

The massive displacement and overcrowding, and the destruction of water and sanitation services, has caused a huge spread in diseases.  

There have been more than 1 million cases of acute respiratory infections, at least 577,000 cases of acute watery diarrhoea, and over 100,000 cases of acute jaundice have been recorded – though the numbers of actual cases are likely to be far higher. Now, Gaza has recorded its first polio case in 25 years.  

As diseases spread, people are struggling to access and afford hygiene materials as there are severe shortages on the local markets. Some have massively increased in price – the price of soap has increased by 1,177% and shampoo by 490% since this time last year. Menstrual hygiene items for women and girls are also scarcely available.  

Overall water production for Gaza is now at about a quarter of what it was before 7 October, and most people do not have access to safe drinking water. 60% of WASH facilities are damaged or destroyed, and desalination plants frequently stop working for days at a time due to fuel shortages.  

While all three water lines coming from Israel are now operational again – after being cut off for months – they are still not operating at full capacity. Sewage pumps, waste collection vehicles and sewage lines have all been destroyed. Combined with the lack of electricity and fuel, sanitation systems have collapsed, and raw sewage is running beside people’s tents. More than 395,000 tonnes of solid waste have now accumulated across Gaza, furthering the risk of disease. 

Gaza’s hospitals and other health facilities have come under repeated and indiscriminate attack. At least 885 health workers have been killed and at least 155 health facilities and 130 ambulances have been damaged so far.

Facilities have also been starved of medicine, fuel, and other critical supplies. Half of all essential medicine is now unavailable. Ambulances have been bombed as they carry wounded civilian casualties. Hospitals are frequently besieged by Israeli military with staff, critically ill patients, young children and pregnant women trapped inside without fuel, food, or water as bombs strike nearby.

Over half of hospitals (19 of 36) and 56% of primary healthcare centres (74 of 132) are now completely shut down. The rest are only partially functioning and face critical shortages and a daily struggle to stay operational.

The closure of the Rafah crossing since May has prevented at least 12,000 patients from being evacuated outside Gaza for critical medical reasons. Doctors report carrying out surgeries without anaesthetics as the operating room shakes from bombs. They report having to amputate children’s limbs that could have been saved if they had medical supplies, and children with wounds infested with maggots due to the poor conditions.

There are around 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza and every day about 180 women give birth in unimaginable conditions. Islamic Relief staff in Gaza report pregnant women enduring C-sections without anaesthetic or painkillers, and women giving birth amid the rubble or in tents or cars because they can’t reach hospital or medical facilities. 

Despite the huge challenges, health teams are doing everything they can to keep going. At least 9 emergency field hospitals are bow functional. At the start of September, a new emergency department was opened at al Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza – which was destroyed by an Israeli siege in March. The new department has 70 beds and a triage section, operating theatres and radiology capacity.

In mid-August, a 10-month-old baby in Deir al Balah was confirmed to have polio. It marks the first case of polio in Gaza in 25 years.

The polio virus can cause irreversible paralysis within hours of infection. It is particularly dangerous for young children. It can also spread rapidly through poor sanitation and exposure to faeces, and contaminated water supplies – both of which are prevalent in Gaza. 

Worldwide, the most effective way to prevent a polio outbreak is through vaccination. However, most children in Gaza have not been vaccinated, and at least 640,000 children under 10 years old in Gaza need vaccination.  

While Israeli blockade has impeded most delivery of vaccinations, a successful immunisation campaign, by UNRWA and their partners began on 1 September, despite the numerous challenges posed by the Israel military, through vaccine detainment and sudden evacuation orders.

The first two of six stages of the campaign have been successfully completed so far (as of 9 September), giving a first vaccination dose to 446,163 children under 10 years old in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. It is now planned to expand to northern Gaza. Each child will need a second round of repeat doses in late September or October for the vaccine to be effective. 

We have worked in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since 1997. Last year, our work in Gaza helped more than 1 million people. We work mainly with local partner organisations, and we currently have 7 staff in Gaza, all of them Palestinians, who coordinate and oversee this work, as well as other staff supporting from the wider region.

We have worked in Gaza for more than 25 years. So, we have a long history of providing development programs as well as emergency aid. These are now suspended while we focus on our emergency response, but we hope to resume this important work in future.  

With famine imminent and ongoing violence, the current priority is to respond to the enormous immediate emergency needs. With no sign of a ceasefire or end to the siege, it is hard to know exactly what the long-term needs will look like.

However, we regularly update our long-term strategic planning based on different scenarios. If and when there is a ceasefire, we currently plan to undertake activities such as rehabilitating homes, schools and health facilities, providing cash for work, transitional shelters, and supporting orphans. Beyond that, we hope to resume many of our existing long-term livelihoods and other programs. However, this may change depending on how the situation develops.

In the current context, almost all civilians in Gaza are vulnerable due to the lack of food, water and medical care, and massive displacement.  

Islamic Relief only provides aid to civilians. We do not partner with any political movements or armed groups. In accordance with humanitarian principles, we do not accept interference by any actors in the selection of who receives aid, partner organisations, vendors, or staff. 

We help as many people in need as we can. Our response is targeting the most vulnerable such as people who are displaced, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities as much as possible. 

Islamic Relief has many years of experience working in difficult environments all over the world. Our teams have been working in Gaza since 1997 and have decades of experience of delivering aid with the appropriate checks and balances in place.  

Our work in Gaza – as elsewhere around the world – is regularly audited by leading global auditors. This ensures our funds go to people in need, used purely for their intended humanitarian purposes. Islamic Relief has strict policies and processes in place to ensure that aid is used for this intended purpose.  

We fully screen all partner organisations before working with them, to make sure they are reputable, trustworthy, and share our commitment to humanitarian principles of impartiality, neutrality, and independence. We also carry out in-depth checks to ensure the quality of their work. This includes what policies and processes they have in place to manage funds appropriately and safeguard people in the communities we serve. 

Yes, you can.

We are fully committed to keep our supporters and donors as up to date as we possibly can. We have been producing regular updates on our activities, including the locations and numbers of people reached, and photo/video materials.

However, Gaza is currently a very challenging environment to operate in. Along with the extreme insecurity and attacks on humanitarian workers, our staff and partners also struggle with lack of fuel, electricity and frequent internet outages. Our staff and partners are also working around the clock to deliver aid and care for their own families. Therefore, information flows can sometimes be limited by factors outside our control.