A firsthand account of heartbreak and devastation in Gaza ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌







Dear friend,

As winter brings a new set of ever more dire circumstances for more than 2 million civilians in Gaza, Mercy Corps is supporting our team members who are living through this crisis, and advocating for a ceasefire, an end to siege tactics, and access for aid organizations at the scale required to meet the scale of humanitarian need.

This email is part of our ongoing series to keep you informed about the latest developments in Gaza and our team members’ firsthand experiences during this conflict. Please read on and consider making a tax-deductible year-end donation to help power Mercy Corps’ life-changing work in the Middle East and more than 40 countries across the globe.
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Situation in Gaza
A man sits among the rubble of his home in the Al-Remal neighborhood in Gaza City, after the entire neighborhood was destroyed. Photo by Eyad Baba for Mercy Corps
Despite ongoing negotiations for a truce, conditions across Gaza are worsening by the minute. Currently, 2.3 million people — half of whom are children — are struggling to survive under two months of total siege and constant bombardment, completely cut off from life-sustaining essentials.

Across Gaza, supplies of food, water, fuel, and other basic necessities are depleted and most essential services have completely collapsed. 90% of the population have fled their homes, but with northern Gaza largely destroyed and southern Gaza under intensifying military operations, there is no safe place in Gaza left to go. More than 500,000 Gazans could be living in a famine-like condition by February unless something is done to address the situation immediately.

Only a sustained ceasefire and an end to the siege coupled with the massive scale-up of humanitarian assistance can prevent continued civilian death and destruction in Gaza.
Nasma’s first-hand account
In central Gaza, Palestinians flee from northern Gaza to the south after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning to more than 1 million people ahead of an Israeli ground offensive.
"It feels like our bones are melting inside our chests without being able to help or shelter them."

Nasma (name changed for safety), a Mercy Corps team member in Gaza, has written a heart-wrenching account of her experiences. Taking shelter from air strikes, waiting in line for bread, consoling colleagues who lost loved ones — Nasma’s harrowing portrait of life in Gaza is a highly personal illustration of the toll this conflict is taking on civilians caught in this devastating violence.

Before October 7th, Nasma worked with Gaza Sky Geeks — a Mercy Corps-supported tech hub and startup accelerator connecting Palestinian youth with international experts, mentors, and coaches in business and tech. "Living under blockade," she said, "it was so hard for them to connect with the world. I wanted to help them have all the resources they needed to excel and create meaningful livelihoods."

Now, Nasma and more than 2 million others across Gaza can only hope for peace and a chance to rebuild their lives — and we must all do what we can to amplify their calls for peace and humanitarian assistance.

Please take a few moments to read Nasma’s full account here ▸
Read Nasma’s story ▸
How we’re responding
Inside Gaza, constant bombardments, displacement of our own team members, lack of access points for aid, and shattered infrastructure have prevented humanitarian organizations from meaningfully providing aid since the end of the "humanitarian pause." As truce talks continue, Mercy Corps is advocating strongly for a ceasefire, end to siege tactics, and humanitarian access at the scale required to meet the needs of millions of people. We’re also working hard to establish supply lines for essential, lifesaving items such as clean water, food, hygiene supplies, and shelter materials.

In the West Bank, our ongoing youth engagement program is running online workshops to provide psychosocial and emotional support training for youth mentors, parents, and staff working at youth safe spaces so that they can help young people cope with the psychological impact of the conflict.

And in Lebanon, Mercy Corps teams are distributing critical supplies and food baskets to people displaced by spillover violence, along with providing hot meals and other supplies at Emergency Displacement Centers.

You can help power our work in Gaza, Afghanistan, Sudan, and 40+ countries around the world.

Make a tax-deductible, year-end gift today to send urgent support for families living through unimaginable crises.

Wishing you peace this holiday season.

Sincerely,

Tjada D’Oyen McKenna
Tjada D’Oyen McKenna,
Mercy Corps Chief Executive Officer