Gaza Appeal update
March 2025

“Although the situation is very bad, there is hope. There will be another day for Gaza and for the Palestinian people.” Suhaila Tarazi, Director of Al Ahli Baptist Hospital, Gaza City

The recent ceasefire has brought a vital pause to the death and destruction unleashed upon Gaza. It has also highlighted the level of destruction and appalling conditions people face as they try to rebuild their lives. 

The ongoing desire of highly influential members of the Israeli coalition government to resume the war means that the ceasefire’s continuation is finely balanced. The need for essential food supplies remains acute and many aid deliveries have been denied entry. Unimpaired access and the provision of tents was a cornerstone of the ceasefire agreement.

In the weeks leading up to the ceasefire, purchasing food in Gaza was virtually impossible without paying extortionate prices to those controlling the flow of aid. This is now much easier. The ceasefire allowed the support we sent for emergency food aid from the Christmas Appeal to be used as quickly as possible. 

Our partners in Gaza, MA’AN Development Centre, also requested that we use funds raised to support the purchasing of blankets for those returning to Gaza City as they faced such atrocious conditions. 

Al Ahli Arab Hospital

A Place of Peace: Al Ahli Arab Hospital
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We are using the funds raised through the Christmas Appeal to purchase essential fuel supplies for Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City and to enable the hospital to resume its recuperation and diagnostic services. Their desire is to move away from constant emergency treatment and return to rehabilitation, diagnostic work and reconstructive surgery focusing more on their physiotherapy and burns departments and diagnostic treatments in the coming weeks.

Of course, there is much damage to the building and staff are busy making repairs. This is made even harder by the fact that no building supplies have been allowed into Gaza, so any materials are exorbitantly expensive or are out-of-date.

Al Ahli has been able to set up a mobile clinic in Jabalia, where there is much need and little support, after closing its temporary clinic in al Mawasi when the population began to return home.

Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees (DSPR)

DSPR: Providing psychosocial work and healthcare to women and children in Gaza
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Meanwhile, Nader Abu Absalon from DSPR, who many of you met during our Christmas tour, has also been updating us on the work of his colleagues in Gaza. They are now focused on delivering services in Gaza City (making use of their damaged buildings), central Gaza and Rafah. 

Nader told us that they will not resume their vocational training for the time being as so much of the equipment and buildings are damaged. Instead, they will focus on the other two areas of their work — healthcare and psychosocial care.

The level of trauma in Gaza is acute which is why we are taking a lead role in supporting their specialist psychosocial support work with children and mothers. They have developed this support over 15 years of experience in addressing ongoing traumatic stress disorders and the ceasefire is enabling them to resume this work. 

We Are Not Numbers

Voices of Youth in Gaza: We Are Not Numbers
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We were delighted to hear the stories of the young journalists from We Are Not Numbers in our recent webinar series. Writing of their own experiences their stories are the chronicles of the impact of the genocide happening in Gaza. They also updated us on the conditions there today. You can watch the webinar here. We are committed to help provide an ongoing platform for their voices, so that their stories continue to be told. 

West Bank

Aggression: 40,000 people have already been forced out of their homes
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Meanwhile, the focus of Israel’s aggression has shifted to the West Bank and is mainly focused on the Northern cities of Jenin and Tulkarem. Over 40,000 people have already been forced out of their homes, and we have been working with our partner, MA’AN Development Centre, to provide emergency support, particularly blankets, to those who need this assistance the most.

Your generosity

All this has only been possible because of your incredible generosity over the last 16 months. Thanks to your support, our Christmas Appeal raised in excess of £250,000. None of the work you’ve been reading about here would have been possible without you. We and our partners are deeply grateful. 

The road ahead will not be easy. There are massive ongoing needs, and it is hard to know what tomorrow will bring, but together, we know that we will be able to continue supporting the vital work being carried out by our partners in Gaza and the West Bank.