This is how Gaza is supported in times of need – and this is how you can help. Inflation is hitting students hard – they can still hope for higher wages in these professions

The people of Gaza lack everything: food, water, medicine, fuel, a roof over their heads. Supplies to the densely populated coastal area were halted after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered the “total isolation” of the Gaza Strip on October 9. This was preceded by the Islamist Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, which killed a total of 1,400 people. Since then, Israel has been bombing the Gaza Strip every day. According to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry, 10,022 Palestinians have been killed since the war began.

Why humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip is currently so difficult, how aid organizations can still provide support and how you can help.

Catastrophic humanitarian situation

After October 9, the Gaza Strip was completely isolated for ten days. Only on October 19 did Egypt agree to open the Gaza border for aid deliveries, to which Israel agreed. At that time, 170 trucks of aid were already piled up at the Egyptian border, all the way in the south of Gaza. On October 21, the first trucks finally crossed the Egyptian border into Gaza. On November 7, a total of 569 trucks had brought urgently needed relief supplies across the border.

This slow trickle of aid is “totally inadequate,” complained United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. By comparison, before the conflict escalated again, they reached Gaza daily 400 – 500 trucks with relief supplies. This amount is needed to provide the 2.3 million inhabitants with basic goods such as bread and water.

Another problem at the moment is that the trucks cannot reach northern Gaza. Aid is therefore mainly concentrated on the south of the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Israel repeatedly calls on people in the north to evacuate to the south. The distance could be covered by car in about an hour, but many do not have the necessary fuel. The march would take more than nine hours on foot. Given the lack of drinking water, the lack of food and the hundreds of injured people currently being treated in the north, this is an impossible task.

How organizations help

It remains difficult for aid organizations to provide support in the Gaza Strip. Doctors Without Borders writes on their website:

Of the approximately 300 Palestinian employees, some families headed south, while others continued to treat patients in the north. Just a few days ago, an ambulance outside Al Shifa Hospital was directly hit by a rocket.

Doctors Without Borders accepts donations for emergency medical care here However, there is no separate fund for the Gaza Strip.

Various aid organizations are looking in vain for a specific collection campaign for the Gaza Strip. First and foremost also at Glückskette, which finances aid projects of recognized Swiss aid organizations. As Fabian Emmenegger, spokesperson for Swiss Solidarity, explained to the NZZ am Sonntag on October 21, the criteria for such a campaign were not met. It was not possible to ensure that the donations collected could be used as aid in a timely manner.

On November 2, they called for solidarity with those affected by the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East and established a corresponding fund. They reported that they had managed to bring humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in recent days. For example, on October 29, the first truck from the partner aid organization “Save the Children” arrived in Gaza with 45,000 water bottles. Other partner aid organizations such as cfd (Christian Peace Service) and HEKS (Auxiliary Organization of the Evangelical Churches of Switzerland) have managed to provide financial support to affected families.

If you donate to Swiss Solidarity, you do not have a 100 percent guarantee that the money donated will go to the Gaza Strip for the 'humanitarian crisis in the Middle East'. Glückskette writes:

You can donate here.

These donations go directly to the Gaza Strip

The following organizations have set up specific fundraisers for the Gaza Strip. The money must therefore flow directly to local aid.

WITCH

The HEKS was able to take the first emergency aid measures in collaboration with international aid organizations. In Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip, more than 20,000 internally displaced people were supported with food parcels. Other people who have fled south are receiving cash to provide them with the necessities of life. In Egypt, HEKS is currently preparing to deliver relief supplies to Gaza via the Rafah border crossing.

HEKS has set up a call for donations entitled Emergency Aid Israel/Palestine.

You can donate here.

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

On October 27, a team of war surgeons and weapons contamination specialists arrived in Gaza in six IRKR trucks carrying urgently needed medical supplies and water purification materials, according to the IRKR website. Depending on the severity of the injury, between 1,000 and 5,000 people can be treated with the relief supplies.

The ICRC has launched an urgent appeal for donations under the title “Israel and Gaza”.

You can donate here.

UNICEF

According to its own information, UNICEF, together with the Egyptian Red Crescent, the World Health Organization and the World Food Program, brought the first delivery of life-saving supplies, such as drinking water, across the Rafah border crossing on October 21 as part of a convoy of 20 trucks. Help is possible, the children's aid organization emphasizes.

UNICEF has set up its own fund for “Emergency Aid for Children in Gaza”.

You can donate here.

Charity

Caritas is involved locally with its partner organization CRS (Catholic Relief Service). Since the outbreak of recent fighting, CRS has provided small amounts of cash to 7,100 households in the Gaza Strip. A total of $1.4 million has been made available for this to date. Four facilities were also supported and converted into refugee shelters.

CRS has set up a logistics center in Cairo where it is preparing aid deliveries for Gaza. Caritas has set up a donation page called “Your donation for the people of Gaza”.

You can donate here.

Terre des Hommes

After Terre des Hommes had to temporarily stop their activities in Gaza due to the outbreak of war, they prepared emergency aid packages in Egypt. These serve to support 5,000 families (approximately 30,000 people). As Terre des Hommes further explains to Watson:

Nine of the fifteen trucks had already been able to cross the border. In total, more than 60 employees and volunteers were involved in packing 10,000 boxes for the first delivery.

As soon as the situation allows, Terre des Hommes wants to provide emergency psychological assistance to the children in Gaza.

Under “Emergency Aid Gaza” you can directly support projects that benefit the civilian population in Gaza.

You can donate here.

This is how the Swiss government is helping

At a press conference on November 1, Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis announced that an additional 90 million euros would be made available for humanitarian aid in the Middle East. The 90 million will flow to various international organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, the World Food Program, Unicef ​​​​and non-governmental organizations such as 'Médecins Sans Frontières' and 'Terre des Hommes'. The UN Office for Humanitarian Aid (Unocha) receives the largest contribution of 25 million.

In summary, Switzerland supports organizations that provide protection and shelter to people affected by the war and provide them with food, the Foreign Minister said.