25.09.2025

Gaza Famine: Aid Agency Responds to Humanitarian Catastrophe

Christian Aid Harvest Appeal

While 6,000 lorries full of vital aid remain stuck at Gaza’s border crossings, hampering the efforts of many aid agencies, Christian Aid continues to make cash transfers to its trusted partners inside the strip who are responding to the needs of communities on the ground. 

Famine has been confirmed in Gaza. People are being starved to death. This is not a natural disaster. It is a man–made famine brought about by Israel’s blockade, which continues to prevent all but a trickle of desperately needed food, water and medical supplies from entering the territory. 

The situation on the ground is one of profound humanitarian emergency, with families facing acute shortages of food, clean water, medical care and safe shelter. Entire communities remain displaced and public services have all but collapsed.

Thanks to the compassion and generosity of Christian Aid’s supporters over the past two years, the charity’s partners inside Gaza have been able to respond to the deepening crisis, reaching those in greatest need with food, clean water, medical care, education and safe shelter. Since October 2023, more than 800,000 people have received emergency aid, more than 1.3 million people supported with food and more than 950,000 with water and sanitation. Donations made by Christian Aid supporters – people like you – are saving lives.

The charity’s local partners have responded in the following ways since October 2023: 

Emergency food and water: Christian Aid’s partners distribute fresh food parcels and hot meals daily, with some produce grown in home gardens and urban plots. The charity’s partner, the Palestinian Agricultural Development Association (PARC) is helping displaced families grow vegetables between tents, preserving heirloom seeds, harvesting local crops and using solar–powered wells to supply clean water.

Support for orphaned and separated children: More than 17,000 children in Gaza have been orphaned or separated from their families. The charity’s partners provide shelter, mental health care and legal protection for these children.

Mobile health and psycho–social care: Mobile clinics operated by Christian Aid’s partner, the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS) provide urgent care across Gaza, treating injuries, supporting pregnant women and the elderly, and offering psycho–social support to traumatised children. With fuel supplies nearly depleted, doctors cycle between locations to reach those in need.

Safe shelter and protection: Christian Aid’s partner, the Culture and Free Thought Association (CFTA) has transformed community centres into safe shelters, providing displaced families with food, bedding, hygiene kits and a sense of protection, all coordinated by local volunteers.

Education for displaced children: With schools destroyed, displaced teachers and volunteers are running makeshift classrooms inside shelters, helping children continue their education. Christian Aid’s partners support hundreds of children each week with informal lessons and psycho–social care, restoring a sense of normality in uncertain times.

Empowering women in crisis: Women–led organisations such as the Women’s Affairs Centre (WAC) are providing widows and female–headed households with hygiene kits, legal aid and trauma counselling. Some women have launched tailoring workshops to repair clothing, a vital service when new goods can’t enter Gaza. Others run solar–powered digital hubs, offering online training and remote employment opportunities so that women can support their families.

Community–led responses: In line with Christian Aid’s policy of supporting community–led responses, the charity’s partners are equipping local volunteers to identify and meet emerging needs, from rehabilitating water points to constructing accessible shelters for people with disabilities. These local initiatives have become the backbone of Gaza’s humanitarian response.

This work is more than aid. It’s an act of solidarity, dignity and survival.

Christian Aid has worked in the region for over 60 years and supports 16 local partners across Gaza, the West Bank, Israel and Lebanon. In Gaza, these partners include:   • Palestinian Agricultural Development Association (PARC) Supporting urban food production, water access and family farming.   • Culture and Free Thought Association (CFTA) Providing shelters, education and psycho–social care for displaced families.   • Women’s Affairs Centre (WAC) Support for widows and women–led households, digital livelihoods and legal aid.   • Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS) Providing mobile medical teams and maternal health services.   • Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO) Civil society coordination and policy advocacy.   • Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) Providing legal aid and monitoring and documenting human rights abuses to provide accountability and justice for victims.

 

This Harvest time, as we gather to give thanks for the food we have and for our farmers and growers, Christian Aid is seeking support for their work to respond to the famine in Gaza. To make a donation, please visit caid.ie/Harvest or to donate by telephone, please call 01 496 7040. Cheques can be posted to Christian Aid Ireland, 19–21 Denzille Lane, Dublin 2, D02 WT72. Thank you.

Growing food in Gaza

Every morning, Palestinian farmer Imad Al–Muanni (pictured above) travels by donkey and cart to his tomato farm in Deir al–Balah, central Gaza. The 40–year–old is accompanied by his wife, son and sister. They work together, tending to their tomatoes and harvesting them.

Imad and his family have been displaced three times since the war started. He said: “I rely on my greenhouse as a source of income for myself and my family. The greenhouse is not far from my home and I spend long hours here to maintain a good harvest and sell my tomatoes in the local market. I received fertilizer [from Christian Aid’s partner] to ensure the success of my crop.”

The Israeli blockade of Gaza has impacted Imad’s farm business, as he explained: “It’s difficult to get water to irrigate the crops. I buy diesel at a high price to operate the generator that pumps water from underground wells. I dream of having solar energy to obtain water at a lower cost. This would also help reduce vegetable prices in the market.”

As famine continues to unfold in Gaza, and starvation has claimed the lives of hundreds of people, Christian Aid’s local partner, the Palestinian Agricultural Development Association (PARC) is supporting Imad and other farmers to grow food desperately needed by everyone across the territory.