Palestine Report: 300 days of crisis

This month marked 300 days since the unprecedented escalation in Palestine began on 7 October 2023. Ongoing bombardment and violence has left at least 39,897 Palestinians killed and more than 92,152 injured to date.

At least one third of those killed are children – including over 118 children and young people cared for by Islamic Relief’s Orphan Sponsorship Programme. Over 1.9 million people – more than 80% of the population of Gaza – have now become displaced.

As our long-term development programmes in the region have been largely suspended due to the dangers and difficulties to deliver aid, Islamic Relief has instead scaled up our emergency response, distributing essentials such as ready-to-eat meals, clean water, medical supplies and psychosocial support to displaced people.

Here, we explore the impact your donations have made to the people of Palestine since the escalation began more than 300 days ago.

Treating Gaza’s wounded

Providing assistance at a small healthcare point in a shelter where Islamic Relief has distributed aid and hot meals is a reflection of how volunteer Mohammed used to help people in his role at a pharmacy in Gaza City before he and his family were forced to flee to the Middle Area.

Helping to treat injuries related to displacement and the poor condition of shelters, Mohammed – who is also displaced – says:

The healthcare point is limited to providing minimal care however, as many of its supplies – including rubbing alcohol, iodine, gauze, painkillers, insulin and other first aid items – are donated from the local community or pharmacies in the local area.

Islamic Relief provides a lifeline

Our staff and partners in Gaza are enduring many of the same challenges as the communities they support, including displacement. However, their commitment to providing aid to vulnerable communities is unwavering.

Here’s a snapshot of the impact Islamic Relief has made since the escalation began last October:

Orphan Sponsorship Programme

Prior to the escalation, we were supporting 8,750 children in Gaza through our Orphan Sponsorship Programme. With an increase in need, we now support 15,300 sponsored children, providing those in need with a monthly stipend and financial support.

Food and nutrition 

To date, we have prepared and served nearly 30 million hot meals for displaced persons in shelters.

Photo: Women and children in Khan Younis benefitted from Lipid Based Nutrient supplements which were handed out in July 2024.

Water and hygiene

More than 8.9 million people have received clean water, as we continue to distribute water in shelters and improve sanitation facilities.

A further 70,044 people now have access to portable toilets, and we have provided more than 62,000 hygiene and dignity kits to help tackle the spread of disease, and provide women and girls with sanitary pads.

Medical supplies and psychosocial support

Since the earliest days of the crisis, we have distributed more than 2.3 million medical supplies to healthcare facilities, while around 5,950 people have received healthcare services.

In addition, we organise games and other activities in shelters to offer some respite and counselling to displaced children, providing psychosocial support to more than 85,179 children to date.