AFSC's team in Gaza distribute food at an open-air kitchen in Rafah. Yousef Filfil
In Gaza, we are witnessing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis that grows worse by the day. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and many more injured. People are dying of starvation and disease. Most hospitals are shuttered, and over 80% of homes and buildings have been damaged or destroyed. Nearly the entire population has been displaced and all of its 2.3 million people urgently need food, water, medical supplies, fuel, and other essentials.
AFSC's emergency relief effort is helping to alleviate suffering in the short term and reduce inequality and oppression in the long term.
Despite facing grave personal losses themselves, AFSC staff in Gaza have provided life-saving aid to more than 541,983 displaced people in the the Deir El-Balah area (Deir el-Balah, Maghazi, Bureij, and Nouseirat), Khan Younis, and Rafah. Recently, AFSC was able to distribute aid to the North of Gaza and Gaza City through our local partner, Palestine Tomorrow.
Our staff, working with partners, have so far provided:
Food for 454,799 people
Drinking water for 63,858 people
Hygiene kits for 2,426 women and girls and 200 seniors
Mattresses and blankets for 1,400 people
Recreational activities for 19,300 children
Our staff are serving hot meals from three open-air kitchens to displaced people living outside of shelters. We have also provided families with food parcels and fresh vegetables. And we have distributed hygiene kits with soap, toothbrushes, women's hygiene products, and other critical supplies.
In the coming months, we plan to reach tens of thousands more people. Most of our food aid and supplies were procured in Gaza, but we are also sending additional aid through Egypt into Gaza when Israeli authorities allow it. So far, we have procured six trucks containing food, medicine, as well as blankets and winter clothes for families. We also procured a seventh truck (containing mattresses, sandals, and underwear) to send through Jordan.
We will continue to assess needs and adapt as needed. As conditions change, our approach may change. We will continue to review and revise this document to be transparent about our work.
In Egypt, AFSC staff and partners pack boxes of food for Gaza. Maryam Azzam
Over the past decade, AFSC has been actively delivering humanitarian aid in Gaza in partnership with local nongovernmental organizations. In the current crisis, AFSC is building on our network to coordinate the best community-informed responses that cover the broadest range of affected communities with little duplication of efforts.
Our skilled local team works in coordination with the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA), United Nations clusters, United Nations agencies (OCHA oPt, UNRWA, and World Food Program), and active local and international agencies in Gaza.
Our current partners include:
- Palestinian Early Children Education Program
- Quaker Service Norway
- Palestinian Children Relief Fund
- Palestine Tomorrow
- MAAN Development Center
- Wasel Tasel
- Mayasem
- World Central Kitchen
We are also in conversations with the Middle East Children Alliance (MECA) and the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) to explore ways of increasing aid distribution in the North of Gaza.
Today, AFSC has offices and staff in Jerusalem, Gaza, the West Bank, and Jordan. AFSC has been present in the Middle East since 1948 when the United Nations asked us to organize relief efforts for Palestinian refugees in Gaza. This built on our work to give relief to civilians living on all sides of the World Wars. Since then, our programs have provided agricultural development, kindergartens, midwife training, humanitarian aid, trauma healing, and intercommunal exchanges for over seven decades. We have maintained a steadfast commitment to supporting emergency relief for Palestinians and lasting peace with justice for Palestinians and Israelis.
AFSC’s programs combine humanitarian service with tireless work on changing attitudes, systems, and laws to create lasting social change. We do not rest with the crucial work of healing the wounds of war; our true mission as a Quaker organization is to root out the causes of violence in our world. Now, we are raising money for humanitarian assistance and calling for a cease-fire, humanitarian access, safe passage, and long-term work to end wars, violence, and oppression in all occupied Palestinian land and Israel.
Thank you for your support.
