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Crisis Alert: We are responding to Hurricane Helene

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Israel Gaza War

STATUS
Active Emergency (Photo: Ibrahim Zaanoun/Anera)
DATE
October 7, 2023
REGION
Israel/Gaza

The Situation

Since Israel was violently attacked on Oct. 7, 2023 and the ongoing hostilities escalated, more than 40,000 people have been reported killed and more than 93,000 injured in Gaza. In Israel, 1,200 people were reported killed and more than 5,000 injured.

One year later, an estimated 1.9 million people are displaced in Gaza —about 90 percent of the population. Those displaced are living in overcrowded, makeshift shelters without access to basic necessities like clean water and adequate nutrition, heightening health concerns.

“The situation is absolutely dire—tens of thousands of families need food, clean water and shelter—and hospitals are running out of fuel. Our support will help health facilities continue operating and providing essential health services to children and adults most impacted by this crisis.”
Deputy Senior Vice President of Emergency Programs Provash Budden

There are already more than 1.7 million reported cases of infectious diseases, including acute respiratory infections, diarrhea, skin infections and meningitis, according to the World Health Organization. In July, polio was detected in wastewater and a case of polio was confirmed, the first in Gaza in 25 years. Efforts to vaccinate 640,000 children are underway

Updated 9/27/24

Our Response

Americares is prioritizing the most urgent medical needs of civilians caught in the crossfire.

We are working with partner organizations with staff on the ground in Gaza to increase access to medicine, medical supplies and mental health support for frontline health care providers and survivors. 

An Americares shipment to Gaza containing tons of desperately needed surgical supplies, bandages, antibiotics, oral rehydration salts and labor and delivery supplies. (Photo/Anera) 

• In Gaza we are providing medicine and medical supplies for our partner organizations Anera and MedGlobal. Since the hostilities escalated in October, Americares has delivered over 24 tons of essential medicine and medical supplies to Gaza, including enough medicine to fill nearly 220,000 prescriptions.  

• Americares is supporting six partner organizations providing mental health and psychosocial support services in Gaza. Combined, these Americares-supported efforts will reach more than 8,000 people experiencing the trauma of war and displacement

• Americares has awarded $550,000 in funding for medical teams providing essential health care services in Gaza, which has no fully functioning hospitals.

• We are also supporting health services in Egypt and Lebanon, including medical care and mental health support for children evacuated to Egypt.

In Israel, Americares worked with multiple organizations after the Oct. 7 attack to meet physical and mental health needs.

Americares funded medical equipment to support United Hatzalah volunteer emergency medical technicians, paramedics and physicians assisting people injured or displaced by the war and through HIAS, supported a mental health hotline and the distribution of household supplies and baby care items. Americares also provided funding to IsraAID, a non-governmental organization that responds to emergencies and humanitarian crises, to provide mental health support and child-friendly spaces for populations displaced within Israel due to the hostilities.

READ MORE about our medical aid for Israel and Gaza in the first 100 days of the war. 


Americares staff prepare a shipment for Gaza at Americares Global Distribution Center in Stamford, Connecticut, on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. (Photo/Tara O’Neill). 

“They continue to help us with every need”

INARA is providing Reem’s family with housing, as well as physical and MHPSS rehabilitation treatment, with support from Americares, July 23, 2024. (Photo/Jeff Kennel)

When 4-year-old Dawud*’s leg was badly broken by missile strike in Gaza, he received emergency surgery. But for a full recovery, the little boy needed medical care not available in Gaza, where many hospitals have been damaged or destroyed. With the help of an Americares-funded local partner, Dawud, his mother Reem and other family members were evacuated to Egypt. There, Dawud received the medical treatment he needed, along with physical therapy and mental health support. “They continue to help us with every need,” says Reem. “People need support after this war – moral, psychological, financial support. It’s all necessary.”

*name changed for privacy

An Americares shipment of 6 tons of desperately needed surgical supplies, bandages, antibiotics, oral rehydration salts and labor and delivery supplies arrives in Gaza in November 2023. Credit to Anera

Updated 9/27/24