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Famine has been declared, people in Gaza are being starved to death.
432 people, including 146 children, have already died from hunger, with most of these deaths occurring since 20 July. An estimated 1 in 3 people in Gaza have gone days without food. Children are most at risk of death from starvation and die at double the rate of adults.
This is not a natural disaster - it is a man-made famine, driven by Israel’s blockade, which continues to prevent enough vital aid and humanitarian supplies from entering Gaza. Over 6,000 trucks of life-saving aid stuck at border crossings. Prices have soared: a 25kg bag of flour now costs as much as a Michelin-starred meal.
Every prayer, every gift, every action brings hope to people hit by crisis.
What's happening in the Middle East?
Since the war broke out in October 2023, civilians have seen relentless bombardment, displacement and deprivation
More than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza. Nearly a third have been children. With homes and infrastructure flattened, almost 2 million people have been displaced, with hundreds of thousands living in overcrowded shelters.
Following the collapse of a temporary two-month ceasefire at the end of February, Israel cut off all supplies of aid, food, medicine and fuel to Gaza for 80 days. By the end of May, 400 aid sites, run under the UN system were replaced by just four Israeli-backed, militarised food distribution sites. Since then, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces as they attempt to collect food from these sites.
Israel continues its military offensive, escalating the bombardment of Gaza by air land, air and sea. In late July, Israeli military began its first ground operation in Dier al-Balah in central Gaza; a hub for UN warehouses and aid groups. This forced Christian Aid’s local partner PARC to close and relocate the only disability friendly shelter in Gaza. Up to 80,000 people fled Dier al-Balah and moved to the extremely overcrowded al-Mawasi area along Gaza’s coast. Over 2 million people are now squeezed into the remaining 12 per cent of Gaza not controlled by the Israeli military or subject to evacuation orders.
Gaza is in famine. By mid September over 500 people including children, had died from starvation according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
A sustainable peace will not be possible until the illegal occupation of Gaza, and the West Bank – including East Jerusalem – is ended and Palestinians and Israelis are treated as equals.
World leaders need to immediately support a locally led reconstruction plan for Gaza to provide hope for the future.
How are Christian Aid responding?
Our established partners in Gaza and Lebanon are responding as best they can, under intense pressure, with medical relief and food, shelter, sanitation and cash.
Our response in Lebanon
With our partners we are:
- Najdeh – delivering food, cash and essentials to displaced families, and running community projects that support children and women in Palestinian refugee camps.
- Mouvement Social – running a DEC-funded centre in Beirut where displaced families can access meals, hygiene kits, showers and psychosocial support.
- Lebanese Red Cross – providing life-saving medical care, blood supplies and mobile health units, and helping shelter thousands forced to flee.
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Emergency and psychological care
Palestinian Medical Relief Societies (PMRS) are on the frontlines, providing emergency first aid, community outreach and follow-up care for those injured across the Gaza strip.
Their mobile teams offer psychological care and medical support–reaching patients by any means necessary, including by bicycle and on foot (due to fuel shortages). This includes treating people at home, who've been discharged from overcrowded hospitals, to dress their injuries.
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Shelter and essential aid for displaced families
Culture and Free Thought Association (CFTA) in Khan Younis has provided emergency food, shelter, water sanitation and hygiene, and essential supplies for the many thousands who are homeless.
With markets still in operation in Gaza, CFTA has provided two rounds of cash grants to more than 300 household from Christian Aid funds.
They also offer emotional support through art workshops, where children can momentarily escape the horrors of war and express their resilience by drawing memories of their homeland.
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Food distribution and community-led relief
The Agricultural Development Association (PARC) coordinate emergency food from local suppliers/farmers in Gaza to those who cannot purchase food. Their work is critical now that food lifelines have been cut off.
They support community-led initiatives, including informal shelters, and have set up a medical clinic in Al Mawasi, treating about 700 patients daily. With support from Christian Aid, they’ve also built bathroom units and established a ‘disability friendly’ displacement camp for 100 families
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Our partners are deeply rooted in their communities and have therefore been the first responders to this crisis. Our locally-led approach has meant that people have been supported to help themselves, in the absence of a ceasefire and sufficient aid.
How your donations help
How your donations helps Every donation helps us meet the escalating needs of people fighting for their very survival.
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£10
or €12 could provide blankets for two people to keep them warm.
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£50
or €60 could provide emergency food for five families for one week.
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£100
or €120 could provide emergency shelter for five families.
With conflict escalating across the Middle East, and famine officially declared in Gaza, we’ll direct our resources to send support to where it’s needed most.
Pray for a just peace
Compassionate and loving God,
Our hearts ache as we stand with those who cry in anguish. With those who mourn; those who have been displaced; those who have lost their homes and livelihoods. We lift the traumatised, the injured, the starving to you and continue to pray for an end to the horrific violence.
God of justice and peace, we pray that the world’s leaders would be guided by your hand towards paths of peace and away from destruction and death. We pray for our partners who continue to serve and help those who are most in need. We pray they would know your protection and see ways open to allow for aid to reach all who are in need.
In the words of the Psalmist, may you make wars cease to the ends of the earth. May you break the bow and shatter the spear. May you do it in our day.
In the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we pray,
Amen
Together, we must do all we can to protect the lives of our global neighbours. They need us right now, more than ever.