Dear MoveOn member,
On this Thanksgiving Day, people in Gaza face dire conditions and do not have enough food or basic survival items.1
"People are just trying to survive. Everyone is carrying a yellow water can, looking for water. They're queuing for bread. And the big thing now is people are scavenging for any wood they can find because cooking fuel has run out," explained the director of the United Nations agency on the ground in Gaza, UNRWA.2
UNRWA has distributed over 1.2 million kilograms of flour and over 870,000 liters of water since the horrific Hamas attacks on October 7.3
The United Nations established UNRWA—the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees—in 1949.4 UNRWA has been delivering emergency medical care, humanitarian assistance, food, education, and social services—including in armed conflicts—for more than 70 years.
Charity Navigator gives the UNRWA USA National Committee—which accepts U.S. donations for UNRWA—four stars, which is its highest rating.5 The organization also gets top ratings on GuideStar.6
Nearly 1.7 million people have been displaced across the Gaza Strip since October 7, and more than 1 million people are now sheltering in 156 UNRWA schools, which have been turned into makeshift shelters.7 The facilities are not adequate to provide safe and dignified living conditions, and severe overcrowding is leading to the spread of diseases, including acute respiratory illness and diarrhea.8
As of November 14, in addition to flour and water, UNRWA has distributed 820,000 units of high-energy biscuits, 329,000 tons of canned meats and fish, 300,000 blankets, 218,000 diapers, and crucial medical supplies.9
UNRWA is truly the "last remaining lifeline for the Palestinian people in Gaza."10
At least 108 UNRWA aid workers in Gaza have been killed in the six weeks of Israeli bombing.11 It's the highest number of United Nations aid workers killed in a conflict in the history of the United Nations.12 Most of the aid workers did not die while working but instead while at home, in strikes that also killed their families.13 One aid worker was killed in his home along with his wife and their eight children.14
It is clear that decades of war and violence have not brought Israelis and Palestinians closer to peace. We must act urgently and collectively to stop more loss of life. Which is why more than 425,000 MoveOn members are calling for a ceasefire amid the heart-wrenching and horrific violence.15 MoveOn members have decades of history organizing for pro-peace, diplomacy-first foreign policy—and against antisemitism and Islamophobia, both of which have been on the rise across the country.
While we advocate for an immediate ceasefire—including an end to the Israeli government's air, land, and sea blockade of Gaza, and the safe passage of hostages, medical staff, and civilians—Palestinians urgently need clean water, food, fuel, and medicine.
The New York Times reports that "UNRWA will likely remain the best placed organization to care for the population, experts say."16
Thanks for all you do.
–Mana, Emily, Erik, Madeleine, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "UNRWA Situation Report #31 on the Situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, Including East Jerusalem," UNRWA, November 15, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/185329?t=5&akid=369885%2E40999114%2E3WbIZ6
2. "Voice of Series: Thomas White on the Food and Water Crisis in Gaza," UNRWA, November 15, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/185330?t=7&akid=369885%2E40999114%2E3WbIZ6
3. "UNRWA Situation Report #31 on the Situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, Including East Jerusalem," UNRWA, November 15, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/185329?t=9&akid=369885%2E40999114%2E3WbIZ6
4. "Frequently Asked Questions," UNRWA, accessed November 17, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/185140?t=11&akid=369885%2E40999114%2E3WbIZ6
5. "UNRWA USA National Committee," Charity Navigator, accessed November 17, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/185141?t=13&akid=369885%2E40999114%2E3WbIZ6
6. "UNRWA USA National Committee," GuideStar, accessed November 17, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/185142?t=15&akid=369885%2E40999114%2E3WbIZ6
7. "UNRWA Situation Report #36 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem," UNRWA, November 22, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/185341?t=17&akid=369885%2E40999114%2E3WbIZ6
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.
10. "4 things to know about UNRWA, Gaza's largest aid organization," NPR, November 13, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/185331?t=19&akid=369885%2E40999114%2E3WbIZ6
11. "UNRWA Situation Report #36 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem," UNRWA, November 22, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/185341?t=21&akid=369885%2E40999114%2E3WbIZ6
12. Ibid.
13. "With 102 Workers Killed, U.N. Agency in Gaza Struggles to Provide Aid," The New York Times, November 16, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/185332?t=23&akid=369885%2E40999114%2E3WbIZ6
14. Ibid.
15. "Do everything you can to stop all loss of life NOW!" MoveOn, accessed November 17, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/184708?t=25&akid=369885%2E40999114%2E3WbIZ6
16. "With 102 Workers Killed, U.N. Agency in Gaza Struggles to Provide Aid," The New York Times, November 16, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/185332?t=27&akid=369885%2E40999114%2E3WbIZ6
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