Terre des Hommes gives humanitarian assistance in Gaza

As of December 13, the death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 18,608, including over 4,500 children. Additionally, there are more than 50,594 reported injuries, with over 3,000 people currently missing and around 135 remaining as hostages in Gaza. Over 85% of the 2.3 million Gaza inhabitants have been displaced across the Gaza strip, some multiple times. Children and families are forced to move repeatedly for safety reasons. This widespread displacement is attributed to the loss of homes and significant damage to residential structures. According to the UN, at least 42% of all housing units in the Gaza Strip have been either destroyed or damaged due to continuous strikes.

The war in Gaza has inflicted immense suffering on the civilian population, leading to a dire humanitarian crisis. Over 1.9 million individuals are displaced, essential services are either crippled or halted entirely, and access to basic necessities such as food and water is scarce. This crisis stands as one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in recent history, significantly impacting an already vulnerable population. 

We are offering health services through our local partner, PMRS (Palestinian Medical Relief Society). 

Number of people reached so far: As of January, with the health response, we have reached 9,310 people.

Current challenges affecting our work: Security is, of course, a significant challenge. However, in terms of implementation, the primary challenge is the procurement of items. There are limitations on goods entering Gaza, and there are also limited ways of entry. Currently, our partners are exploring the possibilities to facilitate the entry of essential items for the project.

With half of Gaza's population being children, the impact of the war on them is severe. Every 10 minutes, a child loses their life in Gaza. The UN chief has called it a "graveyard for children." Those who survive may face irrevocable changes, as repeated exposure to traumatic events can induce toxic stress. This stress can impede physical and cognitive development, leading to mental health problems in both the short and long term. Even before this escalation, over 816,000 children in Gaza—three-quarters of the entire child population—were identified as needing mental health and psychosocial support.

With continued military operations in Gaza, access has become challenging for humanitarian operations mounting to a level that has never been seen in any other contexts. Aid organisations encounter multiple barriers in delivering assistance due to the destruction of humanitarian service facilities, a lack of access to safe corridors for supplies, and challenges in ensuring the safe movement of staff. More than 130 Humanitarian aid workers, 286 health workers and 203 educational staff have been killed. 

Terre des Hommes through its international federation members have been operational in the Palestinian territories for over 50 years. Since day one of the recent escalation Terre des Hommes Netherlands has been closely following the situation through in-ground contact with staff in the country and region as well as through our dutch based alliances i.e the Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA) and Samenwerkende Hulporganisaties (SHO).