Donate to Gaza: a devastating humanitarian crisis
Update October 17 2024: DEC Appeal Launched
Millions of people across Gaza, Lebanon and the wider region are in urgent need of food, shelter and medical care. Please help now.
The Disasters and Emergencies Committee (DEC) launches appeals during times of monumental suffering, like we are seeing now in the Middle East. Across the region, communities are being pushed deeper and deeper into crisis.
DEC member charities, including British Red Cross, are responding right now in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank. We’re providing support and care to people in crisis across the Middle East. Please donate to the DEC appeal right now, if you can.
Funds raised through the appeal will support the ongoing lifesaving work of our Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement colleagues who’ve been supporting communities tirelessly over the past year.
The current situation in Gaza
The ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Gaza is catastrophic. Famine is looming, clean water is scarce, and the healthcare system has all but collapsed. Most people have fled from their homes, and there is nowhere safe left to go.
In Gaza and across the region, we are witnessing unacceptable and relentless human suffering and the sheer scale of the response and recovery effort needed in Gaza and across the region will require funding for many years to come.
Aid alone will not solve this crisis, but it will save lives. People urgently need clean water, food, and medical care. Red Cross and Red Crescent teams have been working tirelessly to alleviate suffering wherever they can. But we can’t continue this life-saving work without you.
The best way to help people in Gaza and other areas affected by the conflict, including Lebanon, is by donating to the DEC Middle East Humanitarian appeal.
What is the Red Cross and Red Crescent doing to help people in Gaza?
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has:
- distributed 1.6 million relief items
- supported over 345,000 people with health services
- provided psychosocial support to 104,000 people
- reached over 22,000 people with emergency medical services
- operated 27 medical points and clinics
- set up 27 camps for displaced people in Gaza
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has:
- opened a 60-bed field hospital in Rafah, with capacity to provide medical care for 200 people a day, including emergency surgical, obstetric, maternal, and paediatric care
- provided one cooked meal a day to 25,000 vulnerable people in Gaza, as well as ready-to-eat food parcels to 10,000 people and high nutritional food bars to almost 200,000 people
- provided essential items to more than 1.3 million internally displaced people in Gaza and helped more than 1.3 million people access clean water
What is the Red Cross and Red Crescent doing to help people in the wider region?
The Red Cross and Red Crescent response will continue across the wider region, working closely with the Palestine Red Crescent Society, Magen David Adom in Israel, the Lebanese Red Cross, the ICRC, and other National Societies to support all communities affected by this conflict.
The plight of the hostages also remains a priority of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and we continue to reiterate what the ICRC has said clearly since the outset of this crisis: those taken hostage must be released unconditionally and without delay.
How you can help people in Gaza and affected regions
If you are in the UK, the best and quickest way to help support people in Gaza and affected areas like Lebanon is to donate to the DEC Middle East Humanitarian appeal. These donations enable us to respond quickly and help people wherever the need is greatest.
Where will my money go?
In a DEC appeal, the focus is on where significant humanitarian needs are not being met. The DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal will support people most in need and those potentially affected in the future by this crisis.
For this reason, the majority of funds from this appeal will be used to support people in Gaza and Lebanon. A number of DEC charities are ready to expand their support in Israel if needed, including the British Red Cross.
Gift Aid claimed on donations received in response to this appeal will be used to fund the whole of our work. In the event there are surplus funds raised for this appeal, these will be used for the general charitable purposes of the British Red Cross.
The importance of neutrality and impartiality
We are a humanitarian organisation that stands for neutrality and impartiality in times of crisis – these principles are the beating heart of every single action we take. Our neutrality is what allows us to access communities, gain trust, and work behind the scenes to get help where it’s needed most.
Decisions on who, how, and why we provide support to those suffering are based on where there is need. As a humanitarian organisation, we are not here to take sides. We are not here to measure one life against another. We are here to relieve suffering – and we will continue to do all we can.
Find out more about our response and what's happening in Gaza.