Donate to the Israeli-Palestinian Crisis Appeal
The terrible situation in Gaza is tearing lives apart. Your donation today will help with the practical support to help where possible.
Our local partners have been providing urgent humanitarian aid to those sheltering in overcrowded temporary settlements near Rafah in the south of Gaza.
CAFOD has been working in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel for decades. Together with partners, we have been actively responding to the crisis since the terrible attacks by Hamas on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent military response from Israel.
Thanks to your prayers, campaigning and donations, we continue to stand in solidarity with trusted local partners in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel who are working tirelessly to deliver vital humanitarian aid to those suffering.
Gaza is on the brink of famine
Experts are warning that Gaza is on the brink of famine. Since the escalation of the conflict, 1.7 million people in Gaza have been displaced from their homes, and two million are facing catastrophic levels of hunger. In northern Gaza, one in three children below the age of two are now acutely malnourished.
Restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid and the intensity of ongoing hostilities are preventing access to essential food, water and healthcare, and have made the situation increasingly desperate for vulnerable civilians caught up in the crisis.
More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, among them 13,000 children. Thousands more are missing and over 74,000 are reportedly injured. The UN reports that over 60% of housing units in Gaza are destroyed or damaged.
Israeli attacks on city of Rafah
On Monday 6 May Israel began its attack on Rafah in the southern part of Gaza, one of the most densely-populated areas on Earth. The attack in Rafah must stop. Thousands have died in this conflict so far, and thousands more will die if the attack continues.
There are no safe places in Gaza to which people can flee.
We have heard from our local partners on the ground who have described the situation in Rafah as a ‘cut and paste’ kind of horror – families already traumatised from being moved four, even five times, are being torn apart again and forced from one shelter to another.
Our partner’s local Rafah office had to be dismantled and moved several miles away, draining resources and precious time that should be spent getting essential aid to people who are starving. Fuel shortages further compound this crisis, with only two days' supply remaining.
“People in Gaza are starving. Our partners tell us that the daily struggle to secure bread is exhausting. However, they are continuing to respond urgently and they have been clear that with more funds, they can do more to meet the desperate needs and provide essential items to their communities.”
Three ways you can help today
Our partners are clear that, with your support, they can continue to provide practical help to families in Gaza right now. Here are three ways that you can help us make this happen:
1. Donate to our appeal
Despite the huge challenges, CAFOD’s trusted partners continue to respond to the urgent needs around them with remarkable strength and courage.
They are scaling up their response, providing the essentials needed to address the catastrophic levels of hunger now faced by families in Gaza. They continue to provide food, emergency shelter, cash for food, blankets, healthcare and medications, and psychological assistance to both children and adults, as well as offering legal support in Israel to families of missing and kidnapped migrants and refugees.
If you are able to, please donate to the Israeli-Palestinian Crisis Appeal to support our partners, who are already responding to tens of thousands of people in urgent need despite the challenging circumstances.
Your gift is supporting vulnerable people with the urgent provision of food, water and emergency shelter.
2. Call for an end to arms sales to Israel
The UK government is still allowing arms to be exported to Israel despite tens of thousands of people having been killed in Gaza.
This must stop. The UK has a responsibility to prevent civilians being killed and injured. Allowing the export of weaponry and military technology risks adding to the suffering.
In recent months, thousands of CAFOD supporters have joined a powerful movement of people around the world calling for an end to the conflict in Gaza. More and more political leaders are now demanding an end to the fighting, with the UK government itself voting in favour of an immediate ceasefire at the United Nations.
But words must be turned into action. Calling for an end to the fighting while allowing weapons to be exported to Israel is outrageous. As Pope Francis has reminded us, “To say ‘no’ to war means saying ‘no’ to weaponry”.
Will you write to your MP and urge them to call for an end to arms sales to Israel?
3. Join us in prayer
During this holy time, we are united in prayer with Pope Francis and all those who pray that peace may prevail all hearts. Every person is a child of God, and we must do all we can to be alongside our brothers and sisters of all faiths living through violence, fear and destruction.
Please join us in prayer by adding your name as a sign of your prayers, which we will share in solidarity with our partners who are responding to this humanitarian crisis.
Add your name to our prayer message
Together, we pray for the people of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory who have been affected by this devastating conflict, for an immediate end to the violence, for our trusted partners who are working tirelessly to respond, and for aid access where it is needed most.
CAFOD has worked for many years in both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory with partners who are Christian, Jewish, Muslim and secular, and we join Pope Francis’ urgent call for peace and an end to the violence.
Pray with us for peace
Join us in prayer by adding your name as a sign of your prayers, which we will share in solidarity with our partners who are responding to this humanitarian crisis.
World Central Kitchen airstrike
On Monday 1 April, an Israeli airstrike led to the horrific killing of seven humanitarian aid workers from World Central Kitchen. We condemn the assault and demand compliance with international humanitarian law.
This incident shows that there are no safe areas in Gaza, and that we need an immediate and permanent ceasefire to make sure humanitarian aid can reach people safely and to work towards long-term peace.
Pope Francis expressed his "deep sorrow" at the attack on the seven World Central Kitchen workers.
During his weekly audience at the Vatican, he renewed his appeal for access to aid for the "exhausted and suffering civilian population" of Gaza, and for hostages taken by Hamas to be released.
“I reiterate my firm call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. I express my deep sorrow for the volunteers who were killed while distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza. I pray for them and their families.”
“We are in regular contact with our partners. They have been clear that with more funds, they can do more to protect and provide essential items to communities.”
CAFOD’s partner in southern Gaza is providing a space for children’s activities to give them some respite from the conflict that surrounds them. The children have painted pictures which reflect their desire for a better future, free from violence.
CAFOD is supporting trusted partners with their response
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) have been scaling up their response and establishing new warehouses for distributing aid. They continue to bring much-needed supplies via Egypt, which are essential to address the catastrophic levels of hunger now faced by families in Gaza. They are also providing emergency shelter, cash and blankets, as well as offering psychological assistance to over 100,000 families across Gaza and the West Bank. CRS are also supporting four churches that are serving as temporary shelters for displaced people and are providing food and cash.
Our local Israeli partner Hotline for Refugees and Migrants has been supporting families of missing and kidnapped migrants. They are offering legal support to ensure all victims of the 7 October atrocities have access to their rights and benefits.
Caritas Jerusalem has opened a new health centre in Gaza city, after its clinic was damaged by shelling, which is now providing healthcare and medications to the local community. When conditions allow, they send out mobile medical teams to support vulnerable communities.
Our partner Sadaka Reut has mobilised its young participants to act in solidarity with marginalised Bedouin communities in the south of Israel who have been impacted by the conflict to build emotional resilience.
Our partner from Khan Younis (cannot be named due to security reasons), opened their centres as shelters for people fleeing northern Gaza in the early days of the crisis. As the fighting intensified, they were forced to move further south to Rafah where they are supporting thousands of families with shelter and basic food, water and medical supplies.
They are also providing a space for children’s activities to give them some respite from the conflict that surrounds them and to respond to the trauma that they are experiencing. The children have painted pictures which reflect their desire for a better future, free from violence.
While it is increasingly difficult to provide assistance, CAFOD’s trusted partners in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel are still managing to respond to the needs around them.
They are providing essentials to those caught up in the fighting but have been clear that with more funding, they can do more to protect and to provide for their communities. They continue to need our support.