Here’s how you can help victims impacted by the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Hamas, the Palestinian group that controls the Gaza Strip, launched a surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, prompting intense Israeli retaliation.
Since the onset of the Israel-Hamas War, and as of October 16, a reported 1,300 Israeli citizens have been killed and 3,200 more injured. 2,750 people have been killed in Gaza, over 700 of which are children, and 7,500 wounded. These numbers have been increasing rapidly as the bombardment continues. An estimated 1 million people have been displaced since the siege — many of whom have no safe quarters to flee to even beyond evacuation zones due.
Due to the blockage imposed on the region, critical aid and assistance is unable to cross into the Palestinian enclave. Food and water supplies are being exhausted. Overwhelmed hospitals are on the verge of losing electricity and fuel. And families, many separated, are trying to survive without shelter. There are no safe zones — relief groups and organization officials warn the region is on the verge of a calamitous humanitarian disaster.
How to Help
Help is needed urgently. The following organizations providing aid and assistance directly need your support:
- International Committee for the Red Cross — ICRC is currently responding by ramping up its relief efforts, providing aid and assistance to both sides, dispatching medical supplies and working closely with Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency medical service and the national branch of the ICRC, and Palestine Red Crescent Society to help the wounded and reunite the displaced. While they remain an impartial and independent organization, ICRC issued a statement calling for immediate ceasefire.
- UNICEF — UNICEF staff remain in Gaza, supporting children in need and have provided nearly all of their prepositioned supplies, including medical supplies and medicines. They have also worked to keep the only functioning desalination plant in the entire Gaza Strip running, despite it being in much-reduced capacity. They have called for immediate ceasefire.
- Médecins Sans Frontières — MSF is currently responding to overcrowded hospitals and supply shortages by providing medical care and supplies to healthcare facilities in Gaza. While they do not run medical programs in Israel, they have offered support in treating casualties in Israeli hospitals. MSF has worked for 20 years in Gaza and throughout Palestine. They have called for immediate ceasefire.
As the conflict continues to unfold, your contributions are desperately needed. Donating to MSF with VAKOVAKO guarantees that lifesaving contributions make it to organizations helping victims directly.
