Donate to the Middle East Humanitarian Appeal
Millions across the Middle East have fled their homes in search of safety. They urgently need shelter, food and basic supplies.
After a significant escalation of the conflict in Lebanon, the search for peace in the Middle East is more urgent than ever since the 7 October attack on Israel a year ago.
What has happened in the year since the 7 October attack?
The suffering of both Palestinians and Israelis has deepened every day since Hamas’ attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed over 1,200 people. Israeli hostages continue to be held in Gaza and countless lives have been transformed by pain and grief.
Israel’s response to the attack has seen daily relentless bombardment on Palestinians in Gaza. The latest figures from 15 October are horrifying: they show that over 42,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 99,000 injured, the majority of whom are women and children. According to The Lancet, the real figures are likely much higher.
This year has been the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since UN records began in 2005. Over 2 million Palestinians are in need of food, water, shelter, protection and basic necessities. The risk of famine persists, with all residents of Gaza facing catastrophic levels of hunger.
Meanwhile, settlement expansion and settler violence has sharply increased. Over 90 per cent of the population has been forcibly displaced in an area the size of the Isle of Wight.
“The number of Palestinian children killed by live ammunition fired by Israeli forces has almost tripled since 7 October 2023”
Our local partners have been providing urgent humanitarian aid to those sheltering in overcrowded temporary settlements near Rafah in the south of Gaza.
The search for peace in the Middle East is more urgent than ever
In the last few weeks, a significant escalation of the conflict in the Middle East in Lebanon has seen over 1 million people flee their homes and over 2,000 people killed (as of October 10, 2024). This marks the latest chapter in a devastating year for the region.
Over 1,000 public schools have been allocated as shelters for displaced people. This is seriously affecting education for students whose schools have been transformed into shelters.
As of 10 October, it was confirmed that two strikes had hit shelters for internally displaced people
Lebanon’s Ministry of Education said that Israeli airstrikes have forced about 40 per cent of Lebanon's 1.5 million pupils from their homes and postponed the start of the school year for public schools from 14 October to 4 November.
Moreover, five hospitals have been targeted, rendering them out of service, 22 ambulances have been attacked, and over 94 health personnel have been killed by Israeli airstrikes.
Our partners have been providing much-needed emergency aid services, comprising hot meals, hygiene kits, blankets and emergency healthcare services for those in need.
Middle East Humanitarian Appeal
Millions across the Middle East have fled their homes in search of safety. They urgently need shelter, food and basic supplies.
Our partners are helping these families right now as they arrive in safer areas. Your donations will help with:
emergency healthcare
food packages
safe shelter
hygiene kits
mental health support
cash to buy fuel, blankets and other essentials.
How is CAFOD responding to the Middle East conflict?
CAFOD has been working in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Israel for decades. Together with partners, we have been actively responding to the growing crisis in the region. Our partner organisations across the region are working tirelessly, often in incredibly dangerous circumstances, to keep people as safe as possible.
Thanks to donations from CAFOD supporters, our partners are distributing bedding supplies, tarps, tents, repair kits and hygiene kits to thousands of Palestinians, as well as crucial food parcels and cash assistance.
On 1 September, our sister agency Caritas Jerusalem set up two health centres in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health. Together they administered 2,003 polio vaccinations. Caritas Jerusalem has also deployed a total of 14 medical teams across the Gaza Strip.
Since the escalation of the conflict in September, CAFOD's partners have mobilised and are providing support in Lebanon to those who have fled their homes. CAFOD supporters played a crucial role in kick-starting emergency food distribution for people fleeing the south of Lebanon and other areas targeted by airstrikes. Additionally, our local partners are reaching hundreds of thousands of displaced people with basic relief items such as blankets, pillows and mattresses.
As of 29 September, Association Najdeh was able to utilize CAFOD funding to provide emergency food parcels and non-food items including mattresses and bedding for over 1,600 households in six Palestinian camps of Shatila, Borj El Brajneh, Dbayeh, and Mar Elias (Beirut), in addition to Beddawi and Nahe El Bared camps in northern Lebanon.
Caritas Lebanon have distributed over 428,000 hot meals, 6,500 pillows and blankets, and 2,500 emergency health services (such as diagnostic tests, medication and consultations).
With CAFOD's support, one of our partners in Gaza has opened their premises as shelter centres for displaced people
What effect is the conflict having on people's mental health?
A key aspect of the work funded by donations from CAFOD supporters includes psychosocial assistance for people experiencing trauma and grief from the horrific violence they’ve been exposed to.
The trauma of conflict is intensified for young people because there is little-to-no access to safe spaces for education and recreation. Thankfully, CAFOD-funded partners are helping young people continue to study maths, Arabic and English. They are offering reading sessions and organising entertainment so children can experience brief moments of joy and relief, and they are celebrating important holidays, like Eid, so young people don’t lose their sense of culture.
Recently, CAFOD granted an additional £100,000 towards these vital efforts. With this extra funding, our partners are helping even more children through these challenging times.
Children who took part in the drawing workshop said: “It wasn’t just a training course in the basics of drawing, but a space for renewing positive energy, improving psychology, meeting new friends and spending time away from the heat of the tent and the pressure of migration.”
The situation in Lebanon has caused drastic trauma and psychological impact on people across the country. A local social worker told us about a man who was forced to flee his home with his family. They told us: “He left his hometown where there was conflict to accompany his six kids, wife and his sister who suffers from epilepsy. He expressed deep sadness that he managed to escape and find safety when so many others could not. Psychologically, he was profoundly impacted by the death of one of his close friends in a bombing, as well as the injury of another. He reflected on how, with just a moment's difference, he could have easily been in their position, either killed or injured.”
“Our work in Gaza is a testament to our unwavering commitment to the health and wellbeing of the community, even under the most difficult conditions”
Pray for peace
A prayer seeking God's help for the situation in the Middle East.
Resources for parishes
As the situation in Gaza and Lebanon worsens, find out how your parish can support the Middle East Humanitarian Appeal.
Resources for schools
Find resources to help your school fundraise for the DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal.
Is a ceasefire in the Middle East still possible?
Yes, a ceasefire in the Middle East is still possible if politicians, lawmakers, world leaders and all actors in the conflict make a definitive decision to stop fighting.
In July 2024, colleagues from Caritas Jerusalem – who were delivering vital medical assistance to Gazans – survived a missile that was fired on St Porphyrius Church but failed to detonate on impact. A spokesperson said: “The people need peace now more than ever. People, look at your compass and do not lose your direction. God will always allow us to choose. We can choose between war or peace.”
A father in Gaza, who is working for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) on the humanitarian response, told us: “What I want for my family and what I want for Gaza are the same: peace. My dream is a place where I can live and work, where my wife is working, and my children can be living in a peaceful environment where there is no violence, where there’s no conflict with any other party. This is the only dream that I can imagine.”
There is a tremendous amount of work to do. We must continue to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire because there is no military solution to this conflict, and we must continue to work for peace, justice and reconciliation for all.
How you can help
Despite the risk to life, our local experts in Gaza and Lebanon are clear that with your support, they can continue to provide practical help to families caught up in the conflict.
Donate now
Your donation to our Emergency Response Fund will help with:
emergency healthcare
food packages
safe shelter
cash to buy fuel, blankets and other essentials.
Your support will allow this urgent practical help to be given to families in crisis-hit areas in the Middle East and can help us to respond quickly to emergencies worldwide.
Join us in prayer
During this holy time, we are united in prayer with Pope Francis and all those who pray that peace may prevail in all hearts. Every person is a child of God, and we must do all we can to be alongside our brothers and sisters of all faiths living through violence, fear and destruction.
Please join us in prayer for the Middle East by signing our message of prayer, which we will share in solidarity with our partners who are responding to this humanitarian crisis.
Together, we pray for the people of Israel, the occupied Palestinian territory and Lebanon who have been affected by this devastating conflict, for an immediate end to the violence, for our trusted partners who are working tirelessly to respond, and for humanitarian access where it is needed most.
CAFOD has worked for many years in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory and in Lebanon with partners who are Christian, Jewish, Muslim and secular. We join Pope Francis’ urgent call for peace and an end to the violence.