07 October 2024

Gaza crisis: One year on, Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement continues to provide a lifeline

It has been one year since the devastating attacks in Israel and the escalation of the conflict that has led to widespread, relentless and intolerable suffering in Gaza. Famine is looming, clean water is scarce, and the healthcare system has all but collapsed. Most people have fled from their homes, but there is nowhere safe left to go.

In Israel and beyond, the families of those held hostage in Gaza remain caught between hope and despair as they await news of their loved ones. Fighting has also intensified in Lebanon and the wider region, pushing communities already affected by conflict and other emergencies deeper into crisis.

Over the past 12 months, teams from the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement have been supporting people in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, Lebanon, and neighbouring countries. Their dedication and the funds raised so far have helped provide lifesaving support, including food, shelter and medical aid.

  • Around 1,600 Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) staff and volunteers in Gaza have reached people with 1.6 million emergency aid items, including food, water and blankets.
  • The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has provided clean water and other essential items to 1.3 million people in Gaza and set up a Field Hospital providing care for 300 people a day.
  • Magen David Adom (MDA) in Israel continues to support communities every day and has responded to over one million emergency calls.
  • The Lebanese Red Cross has deployed over 350 ambulances and mobilised volunteers 1,215 times since mid-September alone.

Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers are working tirelessly to serve others, facing great risks including to their lives. Tragically, 19 PRCS colleagues in Gaza and six colleagues from MDA have been killed in the line of duty. Two PRCS colleagues have been killed in the West Bank and in recent days, a number of colleagues from the Lebanese Red Cross have also been injured while working to save lives.

Béatrice Butsana-Sita, chief executive of the British Red Cross, said:

“Civilians continue to pay the highest price of this conflict. People in Gaza have been living through an unimaginable horror. We must see immediate action to alleviate their suffering, this includes a continuous flow of unhindered humanitarian aid, and for civilians and medical and aid workers to be protected. Aid alone cannot solve this crisis, but it will save lives.

“In Israel and beyond, families desperately await news of their loved ones. We remain extremely concerned about the lives and welfare of the hostages held in Gaza, and we continue to call for their unconditional release and for the ICRC to have access to them.

“Fighting has intensified in Lebanon and across the region, pushing communities already affected by conflict and other emergencies deeper into crisis. Yet despite immense challenges, Red Cross and Red Crescent teams remain at the heart of the humanitarian response in their own communities. Our appeal is helping to fund this vital work, but we need long-term solutions to end this crisis. People’s lives are hanging in the balance.”

To support this work, please donate to the British Red Cross Gaza Crisis Appeal.

ENDS


About the British Red Cross

For over 150 years, the British Red Cross has helped people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. With millions of volunteers in over 190 countries, the British Red Cross is part of an international humanitarian Movement that’s there for people before, during and after a crisis. Together, we are the world’s emergency responders. 

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