Dear John,
I’m writing with gratitude for all the support we have received from the AFSC community for our emergency response in Gaza. Thousands of people have responded to our call for donations, enabling us to provide life-saving humanitarian aid. We are also grateful to everyone who has joined us in advocating with policymakers for a cease-fire, humanitarian access, and the peaceful release of all hostages and civilians held captive.
Today, heavy Israeli bombardment continues across most of the Gaza Strip. The U.N. estimates that about 85% of the total population of Gaza has been displaced, with about 1.5 million people now concentrated in the southern city of Rafah. About 500 trucks used to enter Gaza daily. Since Oct. 21, only an average of 100 trucks per day have been allowed to enter. People are sleeping in the streets. Many don’t have access to clean water and are starving.
It is in this context that AFSC is providing emergency relief to displaced people in the Khan Yunis and Rafah regions of Gaza. Since October, we have distributed food to over 13,000 people. We’ve delivered more than 2,000 hygiene kits and 3,000 liters of drinking water. We worked with partners on a day of activities for displaced children. In the weeks ahead, we plan to reach tens of thousands more people with hot meals, food parcels, and water. We are also planning more recreational activities for children together with our partners.
In addition, we are helping 168 patients from Gaza and their relatives who were receiving treatment for health conditions in Jerusalem and were forced to relocate to Ramallah during the war. We have helped them with medical needs and winterization items and are working with partners to provide hot meals.
As I reported last month, we will continue to send aid through Egypt into Gaza when Israeli authorities allow it. We have procured trucks of food, medicine, blankets, and winter clothes for displaced families, but we are experiencing long delays trying to get them through. Please keep urging Congress to demand a cease-fire and humanitarian access.
Thank you again for your support.
In peace,
