Caritas partner continues humanitarian efforts in Gaza

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to escalate. In the face of many challenges, Cordaid’s partner Catholic Relief Services, made up of 50 Gazan staff in addition to staff members from across the region, successfully delivered humanitarian supplies into Gaza over the past several months, supporting nearly 670,000 people.

Cordaid supports the people of Gaza through its membership of Caritas Internationalis and the ACT Alliance. These worldwide networks of faith-based humanitarian organisations provide emergency relief in the most challenging circumstances.

Facts and figures, May 22, 2024

‘It’s our humanitarian duty to alleviate the need and suffering of people in disaster areas,’ says Laurens den Dulk, humanitarian programme manager for Cordaid. ‘To do this in Gaza, we support DanChurchAid and CRS. They are among the few international NGOs that have been able to continue to work with Palestinian employees in the area all these months. With minimal options, they still provide humanitarian assistance efficiently. This shows why it is important that local first responders have all the resources they need to do their work.’

Immediate cessation of hostilities

CRS, among other Caritas and ACT Alliance members, call for the immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians, and the opening of borders for greater access to emergency relief, especially to areas in the north, where families have been isolated for months.

Earlier this week, Jennifer Poidatz, Vice President of CRS, reported that the organisation has successfully brought more supplies into Gaza to support thousands of families in the north.

‘This is a tiny win,’ says Poidatz. ‘But, we are hopeful that we will see other supplies moving into Gaza from Jordan soon, especially shelter materials, given that there are now over 800,000 newly displaced people since the evacuation orders, in addition to the ongoing needs in the north and south.’

Facts and figures, humanitarian assistance by CRS in Gaza

CRS in Gaza

This month, the Israeli military ordered the immediate evacuation of 34 neighbourhoods in the city of Rafah in the south and Jabalia in northern Gaza, quickly followed by new attacks. The recent turn of events is pushing many families to the edge of survival.

All CRS staff remain unharmed and have left the areas, with many moving for the third or fourth time since October. The teams in and outside of Gaza are doing all they can to support the staff to meet the escalating needs of the population.

A total of 254 humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza since October. Despite the relentless bombardments, increased tension and hostilities, the Gaza and West Bank teams of CRS persist in expanding operations and delivering essential support.