In the Gaza Strip, Palestine, 11 days of airstrikes by Israeli authority killed 256 people including 66 children and injured about 2,000 people since May 10 (as of June 6). The airstrikes intensified day by day, and people spent days in fear. We received heartbreaking messages from the local people every day: “I might be the next to die,” “I just want you to pray for us,” “I can’t stand up because my legs are shaking, and I can’t even press the buttons on my phone because my hands are shaking.”
Although a ceasefire was reached on May 21, the buildings and infrastructure in Gaza have been terribly damaged. While the hospitals in Gaza were dealing with many wounded people, the hospitals were also targeted by airstrikes. It made medical care even tighter and now requires more support than ever. People lost family members, friends, property, and their daily life. The trauma caused by the 11 days of fear can never be erased.
We have been working with the local people in the Gaza Strip for the past 20 years. We have already resumed our regular activities and are making preparations for additional support as follows.
The use of emergency donations
First, we will use the funds to provide emergency support for the damage caused by the airstrikes on the Gaza Strip (distribution of food and hygiene items to the vulnerable families in our activity areas, psychological care training, and support for the El Wafa Hospital). Besides these activities, the fund will also be used for our regular activity, “Prevention and Improvement of Malnutrition of Children.”
We started activities in Palestine in the West Bank in 1992 and in the Gaza Strip in 2002. In the Gaza Strip, the economic situation has worsened due to Israel’s land, sea, and airspace blockade since 2007. There is no end to the number of children who suffer from malnutrition. We have been conducting projects to improve the malnutrition of children by providing mothers with knowledge about childcare and nutrition in cooperation with a partner organization, AEI (Ard El Insan, “Earth of Humanity”) that specializes in maternal and child health. These activities take time to bring about change, and hence continuous involvement is important.
We have resumed our normal activities because we are afraid that the damage caused by the recent aerial bombing will further affect the children and their families, who already suffered from malnutrition and have been receiving our support.
Please join us in supporting the people of Palestine. We look forward to and thank you for your support.
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