Gaza: The work continues
Update — October 16th 2025

Like everyone, we have welcomed the ceasefire and what we hope will mark an end to the genocide. As families start to return to what is left of their homes and to look for the remains of loved ones buried below rubble, the long, drawn-out process to rebuild lives may finally be able to resume.  

We welcome the homecoming of the Palestinian prisoners and those on administrative detention, as well as the return of the Israelis held in Gaza. But we are also disturbed by the news of the refusal to release Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, the reimprisonment of Layan Nasir for another 8-month prison term and the assault on Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti by eight guards while being transferred between prisons. 

It is still vital that we continue to act for Gaza — and for Palestine as a whole. We must not confuse this moment with the realisation of Palestinian rights, their aspirations, or with an end to occupation and the loss of life. As well as the 68,000 people killed in Gaza and 170,000 people injured, this week saw the 1,000th Palestinian killed on the West Bank since 7th October 7th 2023.

As families start to return to what is left of their homes and to look for the remains of loved ones buried below rubble, the long, drawn-out process to rebuild lives may finally be able to resume.  

We need to continue demanding that our government stop arming Israel, that international law be implemented and that there is an end to the occupation and to the violent repression of Palestinians. 

On the ground we are:

Providing vital food and humanitarian aid 
As aid convoys are allowed in, needs will ease, but we know that some groups and individuals will not be able to access this aid and that targeted support delivered by our local partners will still be essential.

A young boy smiles as he collects water — 15th October, 2025
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Providing essential medical care 
Our long-term partner, Al Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City was attacked 8 times during the genocide. Friday 17th October marked the second anniversary of the first time it was hit, when 493 people were killed while sheltering in the hospital courtyard. 

This week, Dr Maher, the Medical Director at Al Ahli, shared this film as well as the news that once again, medical supplies for the hospital were turned back by the Israelis.

Friday 17th October marked the second anniversary of the first time it was hit, when 493 people were killed while sheltering in the hospital courtyard. 

An update from our partner Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza

 
As well as providing ongoing surgical and emergency medical care for those injured in the genocide, Al Ahli is determined to resume its more general health care, which they have been unable to do for 2 years.

They want to resume their diagnostic work and cancer screening programmes (particularly breast cancer) and provide physiotherapy and specialised care to those children who have lost limbs (up to 5,000) or carry the scars, burns and tissue damage from the war.

A burnt out hospital vehicle in the grounds of Al Ahli Baptist Hospital
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Therapeutic trauma support for women and children
UNICEF estimates that over 1 million children in Gaza are deeply traumatised and will need trauma support. DSPR started providing post-traumatic psychosocial programmes and 1:1 support following the Operation Cast Lead attack on Gaza in 2009.

They realised that there was no such thing as ‘Post’ Traumatic Stress Disorder in Gaza, just ‘Ongoing TSD’, but that there was an urgent need for specialised services to address the symptoms and to enable children and parents to overcome their trauma and to be able to self-regulate and resume normal childhood development.

A young girl stands in the rubble of Gaza
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UNICEF estimates that over 1 million children in Gaza are deeply traumatised and will need trauma support.

Throughout the war, they have run programmes to lower stress and help children and families cope with the horrors they were experiencing. They are determined to ramp up their services as quickly as possible and provide the in-depth therapeutic interventions that were impossible while the conflict was ongoing.

Support for young journalists
263 journalists have been killed in Gaza — more than the total number of journalists killed in all the wars of the 20th century combined. We Are Not Numbers was set up by Amos trustee Ahmed Alnaouq in 2014 to provide a platform and the training young people in Gaza needed to tell and share their stories of everyday life — to show that they were not just numbers.  As the genocide progressed, the young writers they trained became Gaza’s journalists.

We have been working with them to pay these writers for their articles and stories so that they have a dignified income and to maintain records of the last two years. It is vital that this work continues and that Gaza does not slip out of our social media news feeds.

263 journalists have been killed in Gaza — more than the total number of journalists killed in all the wars of the 20th century combined. 

Education through a tent school initiative 
Schools in Gaza have been closed for 2 years. 95% of them have been damaged or destroyed. We have been working with a group of teachers to provide school for children in tents in Al Mawasi and Gaza City. It is impossible to predict when formal education will resume in Gaza. 

Facilitating the aid work of the Gaza Sunbirds
The Gaza Sunbirds para-cycling team are working with other partners on joint projects that get as much support into Gaza as possible.

West Bank
On the West Bank, we work with our partners to support those who have had no income since October 2023 and who have experienced settler violence, land confiscation and home demolitions in what is known as Area C. 

We are currently completing two home rebuilds with our partner, Holy Land Trust, just south of Bethlehem for families whose homes were destroyed by the occupying forces and have a particular focus on supporting communities in Masafer Yata in the South Hebron Hills. 

Culture
Finally, one of our main areas of work is the support and promotion of Palestinian culture. We have been supporting small arts programmes on the West Bank over the last two years to keep them open, and we are working to bring the young dabke dancers from our partner Alrowwad Cultural and Arts Society in the Aida refugee camp to the UK in December for a national tour.