January 8, 2024
All news
The war in Gaza has been ongoing for more than three months. The fighting has had a devastating impact on the civilian population. The humanitarian situation is catastrophic, with people having no access to even basic needs such as drinking water, food or healthcare, and are at imminent risk of famine. A hundred-member Caritas team is involved in the relief effort on the ground. Caritas is also calling for an immediate ceasefire.
Tragic balance
The war, which has flared up again following the brutal attack on Israel by Hamas fighters in early October, has claimed an unprecedented number of civilian casualties. In three months, almost 23,000 Gazans have lost their lives, and nearly 60,000 others have been injured. Over 60% of the casualties are civilians. 1.9 million residents have been displaced from their homes, which is close to the entire population. Many of them have been displaced repeatedly.
Donate and help civilians in Gaza
"People are crowded in inhumane conditions in overcrowded shelters, right in the streets or in makeshift camps, where even basic facilities such as shelters or sanitary facilities are not available," explains Lenka Pipková, Caritas Czech Republic foreign communications manager. In addition, two-thirds of homes have been destroyed or damaged in the current fighting, as have hundreds of schools and dozens of healthcare facilities.
The people in Gaza lack basic necessities such as drinking water, food, shelter, warm clothing and medical and psychosocial care. Diseases are spreading, and 2.2 million of people, ncluding a million children, are at an imminent risk of famine. Moreover, no place in Gaza is safe, and there are constant attacks throughout the territory. Schools, health facilities and refugee camps are not spared. At the same time, because of the dire conditions and the ongoing fighting, humanitarian aid deliveries to the vast majority of the Gaza Strip have had to be halted.
Caritas is helping directly in Gaza
Our partner organisation, Caritas Jerusalem, has been helping in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank for a long time. One hundred staff members are on the ground, focusing primarily on providing medical care. This is both through dozens of mobile medical teams and Caritas own clinic, which it operated in Gaza until the beginning of October. Unfortunately, the Caritas Jerusalem clinic is damaged and out of service due to the fighting. However, Caritas Jerusalem staff opened two ad hoc clinics in local churches in the Northe during the first days of the war. They also participated in the provision and distribution of basic humanitarian aid.
Despite being displaced and facing the devastating impacts of the current situation, including the loss of loved ones, Caritas Jerusalem staff in Gaza continue their assistance to the people in Gaza. During the seven-day humanitarian pause in the second half of November, our brave colleagues managed to get three ad-hoc primary care clinics up and running in southern Gaza after very rapidly cleaning and tidying up the space of the remains and the debris caused by the destruction. And they quickly began seeing patients. The three mobilised medical teams are thus once again providing primary health care to the most vulnerable communities in Khan Younis, Deir Al-Balah and Rafah. Caritas also continues to provide much-needed psychological care.
Humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip
Another of our sister organisations from the Caritas network, Catholic Relief Services, has also been involved in providing aid by coordinating the procurement and shipment of emergency supplies to the civilians in Gaza. They deliver several truckloads of supplies of the most basic necessities to the Gaza Strip daily. During November, it was able to secure supplies of blankets, mattresses and mats for displaced families in the Gaza Strip. At the very least, this has helped to alleviate the dire conditions of six hundred families who have lost their homes due to shelling and are surviving in inhumane conditions with no resources. At the same time, cash assistance was provided to 100,000 Gazans for food and supplies. However, the humanitarian aid supplies that have been reaching the area are only a fraction of what is urgently needed on the ground to survive.
The situation in Gaza was already very complex before the current tragic escalation. The Gaza Strip is an isolated strip of land smaller than Prague, with a population of 2.3 million. It is one of the most densely populated areas on the planet - and in a closed area at that. The Gaza Strip has been likened to an 'open-air prison', with its inhabitants long deprived of basic needs. Even before the current escalation, more than 60 per cent of the population lived in long-term poverty. Moreover, half of Gaza's population is made up of children and adolescents, with up to 40 per cent under the age of 14.
Appeal to help civilians in Gaza
Shortly after the escalation of fighting between Hamas and Israel, Caritas Czech Republic released funds from its crisis fund and announced an appeal to help civilians in Gaza. The proceeds will go towards the aid provided by our partner organisation Caritas Jerusalem in the affected area. At the same time, we have called on both sides of the conflict to respect international law and ensure that civilian lives are protected to prevent further bloodshed. We have stressed that it is imperative that civilians are allowed to leave the areas of fighting and move to safety and that they are provided with safe access to humanitarian aid. Caritas Czech Republic has also joined the calls for an immediate ceasefire.
We thank our colleagues who, despite their own deep losses and hardship, continue to assist others. We express our sincere admiration and gratitude to them.
Donate and help civilians in Gaza
