Emergency Appeal for Gaza

Thank you so much for your generous support of our Gaza Appeal. Your kindness and solidarity mean a great deal, and because of your support we are able to stand alongside our partners in Gaza as they continue to serve their communities under extraordinarily difficult circumstances.

We wanted to share a brief update on the situation in Gaza, together with some information about the work that Amos Trust is supporting on the ground.

Despite the so-called ceasefire, the situation in Gaza is still extremely difficult. Sixty per cent of Gaza is completely controlled by the Israeli military, and the Israeli Prime Minister has announced that the yellow demarcation line will be extended to cover 70% of Gaza. No Palestinians live in the Israeli-controlled areas, and no buildings remain there. Two million people have been forced into a tiny strip of coastal land, living in vermin-infested tents and partially demolished buildings with little or no access to water or sanitation. Building materials are still not allowed in. Food and water shortages remain widespread, Israeli forces continue to carry out daily attacks, and 1,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israel since the ceasefire.

At this time, one million children in Gaza are acutely traumatised. Ninety-three per cent of schools have been destroyed or badly damaged, and Gaza remains littered with unexploded ordnance. UNMAS estimates that more than 70,000 tonnes of explosives were dropped on Gaza—though other sources put the figure closer to 200,000 tonnes—and that 10–12% of these failed to explode.

Your support is helping to make the following work possible:

• Trauma therapy for children and parents, in partnership with our long-term partner DSPR, now that the situation is more stable and they are able to do deeper therapeutic work. Because the trauma in Gaza is ongoing rather than in the past, formal diagnoses of post-traumatic stress are not possible, but our partners are still able to help children and their mothers talk about the horror and loss they have experienced and find ways to begin to self-regulate.
• Education through three tent schools, providing basic literacy, numeracy and language skills for 180 children aged 5 to 8 each year, alongside a joint initiative with Taawon UK that combines tent schools with psychosocial support. The children involved in these programmes have either never been to school or have not attended since October 2023.
• Raising awareness among children across Gaza of the dangers of unexploded ordnance. We are supporting Ajyal Association in a one-year programme to teach 100,000 children how to recognise unexploded ordnance and booby traps, and to produce resources to raise awareness among 500,000 displaced people.
• Women’s health and breast screening at Al Ahli Hospital. Al Ahli Hospital provided essential trauma surgery and care throughout the war, despite being bombed eight times and suffering extensive damage. Now that the situation has stabilised, the hospital has asked us to support the resumption of its vital breast cancer screening and women’s health programme in Gaza City. No cancer care was available during the war, and there are still very few, if any, chemotherapy drugs available in Gaza. Al Ahli is screening as many women as possible and has a support worker who visits displaced communities, encouraging women to come for breast screening.
• Supporting the young writers who have become Gaza’s journalists. Since October 2023, no international media have been allowed into Gaza, and 260 journalists have been killed. The young writers trained by our long-term partner We Are Not Numbers have become Gaza’s journalists and continue to play a vital role in documenting the ongoing genocide.

These programmes are all delivered by local organisations whose staff have lived through the genocide, lost family members and colleagues, and been displaced multiple times themselves. Their courage, resilience and commitment are extraordinary, and it is a privilege to support them in this work.

Thank you once again for standing with the people of Gaza. Your compassion and generosity are making a real difference, enabling our partners to provide practical support, care and hope in the midst of immense hardship. We are deeply grateful for your continued solidarity.