After almost eight months of war in Gaza, the more than two million people living there are facing a starvation catastrophe. Large parts of the Gaza Strip have been completely destroyed and are no longer habitable. In addition, a large part of the population has no more than 1 litre of drinking water per day. In view of the extent of the destruction and the humanitarian catastrophe, the people of Gaza urgently need help.
Misereor's partner organisations have been active on the ground for decades and are currently preparing to provide emergency aid. Food parcels containing flour, rice, oil and sugar as well as fruit and vegetables are to be put together and distributed throughout the Gaza Strip. The distribution of hot meals to hundreds of families is also being planned. According to UN figures, more than one million children are at risk of acute hunger in the northern Gaza Strip alone.
Clean water is hardly available in sufficient quantities throughout the Gaza Strip. Most of the water treatment plants have been destroyed or cannot be operated due to a lack of fuel. The World Health Organisation (WHO) warns of a mass outbreak of disease and deaths, especially as summer temperatures rise. Misereor is therefore planning to finance the installation of smaller, solar-powered desalination plants for water treatment, which will ensure the supply of drinking water for thousands of displaced people in refugee shelters.
"To prevent a famine, the people of Gaza finally need unrestricted humanitarian aid and an end to the war. We appeal to all parties to the conflict to agree on an immediate ceasefire. All necessary steps must be taken to end the suffering of the civilian population in Gaza and to free the Israeli hostages from captivity," demands Bernd Bornhorst, Managing Director International Cooperation at Misereor.
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