Gaza: how has Islamic Relief been using its voice?

The last six weeks of intense bombing and siege have ravaged Gaza, with almost half of all homes now damaged or destroyed, as well as hundreds of attacks on health facilities and schools. More than 1.7 million have now been displaced, including many of our staff members. The latest figures from the Ministry of Health before its collapse report over 11,000 innocent civilians in Gaza have been killed and thousands more injured. 

Islamic Relief has worked in Gaza since 1997 and we remain steadfast in our determination to provide emergency support to vulnerable people. Despite extreme challenges, our team in Gaza has been able to reach hundreds of thousands of people with essential aid since the beginning of our response in October.

Across the central and southern parts of Gaza, we’ve been providing warm meals, food parcels, fresh produce, clean water, medical supplies, and support for orphans, and more – Alhamdulillah. Our ability to continue delivery of aid depends on the security situation, as the extremely heavy and indiscriminate bombing across Gaza means there is a high danger to our staff, partners and the communities.

What have we been doing?

In the UK, Islamic Relief have been advocating and campaigning for the government to call for an immediate ceasefire since the recent hostilities in October.

We have been meeting with government officials and briefing them on the worsening humanitarian crisis, demanding that they call for a ceasefire and an end to the siege in Gaza. Using our MP action, almost 70,000 of our supporters have written to their local MPs and requested that they write to the Foreign Secretary. We have also been using social media to raise further awareness about the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

In close collaboration with other INGOs and agencies, we have been building pressure on the UK government – we have supported creative campaign stunts, lobby days, vigils, and light projections on Parliament buildings. We have also placed op-eds in media and signed several statements and open letters.

But we know there is still a very long way to go.

Humanitarian pause has been agreed

Although we welcome the extension of the pause in the relentless bombardment of Gaza and the safe release of civilian hostages and detained children, a temporary pause is not enough to end the bloodshed and address the worsening humanitarian catastrophe. The trickle of aid that has entered Gaza has been woefully inadequate – we desperately need a permanent ceasefire so that aid can enter at the scale needed to address this worsening crisis. 

A pause ultimately has little worth if the killing and destruction resumes in a few days. The humanitarian needs are enormous, and a couple of extra days is not enough to make a big difference. The international community must continue to work towards a permanent ceasefire and an end to the siege in Gaza.

What else can you do to help?

We must continue to keep pressure on the UK government to call for an immediate permanent ceasefire. You can help to do this by writing to your MP if you haven’t already using our MP action. We also encourage you to share the action with your friends and family. If you would like to learn more about the realities of those on the ground in Gaza, you can also read our latest blog by an Islamic Relief worker who shares his experiences in the besieged Gaza.

Our asks to the UK government in full:

• Call for an immediate permanent ceasefire to prioritise the preservation of human life.
• Demand that Israel immediately ends its complete siege of Gaza and ensures that humanitarian aid safely reaches people in need in accordance with humanitarian principles. Israel must allow safe and unimpeded entry of fuel, water, food, and other humanitarian necessities into Gaza.
• Demand that all parties comply with international law and ensure that civilians are protected from harm. All parties must not target civilians or civilian infrastructure and must ensure that civilians have access to basic necessities such as water, food and power.
• Increase UK aid to Palestine to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs and work with international partners to ensure that governments continue to fund humanitarian organisations and UN agencies responding to the crisis.