The Gaza Strip is in an unprecedented state of destruction and ruin. There is much death, suffering, and agony. The damage of the Israeli assault on Gaza that began on July 7, 2014, has reached every resident and home in the Gaza Strip; destroying tens of thousands of facilities and buildings either partially or fully, including civilians’ homes, public facilities, and schools, in addition to the systematic targeting and devastation of the infrastructure of Gaza’s electricity, water, and telecommunications services.

fully, including civilians’ homes, public facilities, and schools, in addition to the systematic targeting and devastation of the infrastructure of Gaza’s electricity, water, and telecommunications services.

For the 1.8 million residents of Gaza, the aggression comes to add a new chapter of suffering to their steadfastness under the 8+ years of siege in addition to the severe impact of the last two assaults on the Strip (2008 and 2012).

♦ Don’t ask me who I am or what I want of this life, for I no longer know.
“We escaped death by minutes, but we’ve lost everything. I am sure that my children and I will need ten years of therapy to survive this and another ten years to get over this trauma,” says Fatima, a mother of three who miraculously survived the shelling of Al-Shuja’iyya.

The Welfare Association and the
Bank of Palestine collaborate

Stemming from its humanitarian duty towards people in the Gaza Strip, the Welfare Association (WA) responded immediately to the increasing need for relief, intervening from day one in an attempt to alleviate the suffering and respond to basic needs through an on-the-ground team and an emergency appeal to help Gaza, which has proved both beneficial and popular amongst organisations and individuals eager to support the Strip.

Through its campaign “Gaza under Fire. Help Gaza,” the WA has remained firm in walking hand in hand with its brothers and sisters in Gaza. The campaign has been a tool for outreach to key local organisations, public and private, and to international partners and the donor community, facilitating immediate collective and collaborative work. More than $3 million of humanitarian supplies and services have been distributed as of mid August, despite the on-going Israeli shelling and aggression.

Immediately after the WA appeal went out, the Bank of Palestine responded and spearheaded the emergency relief efforts under the heading “Palestine Is in Our Hearts,” in cooperation with the WA. The work focused on serving the bereaved in Gaza and providing victims of the attacks with the emergency medical supplies and humanitarian aid they needed during those very difficult times.

♦ “Today I will be able to sleep on a soft, warm mattress and not the hard and cold floor as the previous days,” said Sabreen from Al-Shuja’iyya, after her family’s home was completely destroyed.

“Gaza under Fire” and “Palestine Is
in Our Hearts”

The primary concern was to be able to reach every affected person in Gaza in view of the dangers and limitations of mobility, supplies, and cash flow. The WA’s emergency appeals were very effective in reaching more than 250,000 persons and providing medical supplies and fuel for hospitals and ambulances; food and milk for children; blankets, mattresses, and clothing for displaced families; hygiene kits; rechargeable light kits; school bags and stationery; and basic rehabilitation of damaged houses and schools.

More specifically, 179,000 litres of fuel were provided for hospitals and ambulances; 17,000 families received food packages; 7,250 families received 35,000 mattresses and pillows10,500 families received hygiene kits; 50 injured children received gifts for the ‘eid; 4,000 hot meals were provided daily for injured people at Al Shifa Hospital; and eight water tanks were delivered to eight shelters during the first week of the assault.

Relief is being distributed through the following WA local
NGOs and partners:

• Al Rahma Society for Relief and Development
• Al Wafaa Charitable Society
• Artificial Limbs and Paralysis Center
• Beit Lahia Development Society
• Canaan Development Institute
• Central Blood Bank Society
• Dar El-Salam Charitable Society
• Islamic Society in Rafah
• Maan Development Center
• Mercy Association for Children
• Palestinian Association for Development and Reconstruction
• Palestinian Counseling Center
• Palestinian Medical Relief Society
• Patients Care Charitable Society
• Patients Friends Benevolent Society
• Public Aid Society
• The National Society for Rehabilitation
• Union of Agricultural Works Committees
• Union of Health Work Committees
• Yabous Charitable Society

More than 300 donors have supported the Gaza Appeal 2014 Campaign to date; this includes 29 institutional donors from the non-governmental and private sectors, as listed below in alphabetical order:

Abraaj Group | Ahli Bank Employees | Al Daleel Establishment
Al Iqbal Investment Co. and Employees | AlFakher Co
AlNabulsi and AlAmad | AlQuds Bank
Alromouz for Marketing Services and Organizing Exhibitions
Bank of Palestine | Bio Lab Employees | Cayan International Ltd
Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) and Employees
Dozan O Awtar Troup | Drake and Scull | Elia AlNims Co
Rasim AlNashashibi Gathering | Invest Bank & Employees
Kinder USA Association through WA – UK
Kuwaiti Red Crescent Society (KRCS)
Members and Employees of Fitness First
Open Society Foundation (OSF) | Palestine Investment Fund
Palestine Islamic Bank | Palestine Monetary Authority Employees
Philip Morris International (PMI) | Reliance Co | Salam Ya Sighar (SYS) Yellow Pages.

Gazans, local officials, and humanitarian workers have already begun to inspect the damaged areas and the “unlivable” towns that have been shelled hard. Estimates at an earlier stage may look optimistic in view of the harsh reality that is emerging on a daily basis.

On-going strategic partnership

The Welfare Association and the Bank of Palestine will continue their relief emergency campaign with all its partners and seek to raise more funds to be able to attend to the calamity at hand. In view of the WA’s five-year strategic plan that seeks to raise $50 million in support of immediate relief and long-term developmental projects, donations are coming in and new agreements are being signed. Over $2 million has already been committed in support of children and youth, psychosocial support, people with disabilities, and limb replacements for the huge numbers of orphaned children, in addition to addressing environment pollution resulting from the sewage floods.

GAZA deserves our HELP to rescue the children, the widowed, and the elderly. PALESTINE deserves to stand up, shine, and prevail.

» The Welfare Association, established in 1983 by a group of Palestinian business leaders and intellectuals, is a leading independent non-governmental organisation that provides support for the sustainable development of the Palestinian people and their communities. The WA strives to empower communities and individuals to become productive, professional, and capable of achieving their goals and aspirations in order to contribute to economic and social change. This is achieved through implementing a set of unique programmes, as well as grant making, to foster an effective and sustainable Palestinian society. Programmes and grant making are focused on four main sectors of intervention: education, culture, community development, and emergency and humanitarian relief.