Middle East | Palestine

Deadly Escalation in Palestine

Violence has escalated after months of ongoing tension across the region. Over 15,000 people have been killed and thousands more have been injured or deemed missing. In Gaza specifically, a ‘total blockade’ is in place, completely cutting off the 2 million civilians from access to food, electricity, and fuel. 

Food stocks are “nearly exhausted”; the operation of water wells and desalination plants have stopped almost completely, forcing people to consume saline water and risking water-borne diseases; and hospitals in the south are struggling to function. In addition, about 1.7 million people – about 80% of the population – have been internally displaced and the total number of housing units destroyed or damaged accounts for at least 60% of all housing units in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of people remaining in the north are struggling to survive as all the hospitals are now out of service.

On November 20, a total of 51 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies were allowed entry through the Rafah Border Crossing, bringing the total amount of aid trucks allowed in to at least 1,320. The entry of fuel, which is desperately needed to operate life-saving equipment, remains banned. While issues related to the delivery of humanitarian aid persist, IRUSA partners have successfully completed the following interventions:

  • Distribution of food aid to families
  • Provision of 2,500+ hygiene kits to people in shelters
  • Provision of vital medical supplies to three hospitals including Hayfa Hospital, Al-Awda Hospital, and Al-Ahli Arab Hospital
  • Access to mobile clinics for 23,400 people in shelters
  • Immediate trauma response for 4,000-5,000 people 
  • Winter aid including home rehabilitation and provision of essential non-food items such as blankets, mattresses, and winter clothing

Our partners are continuing to work on the procurement and stockpiling of water, food and non-food items including blankets and mattresses for winter, and medical supplies, to be delivered once a pathway for humanitarian aid is established.

Stay tuned to this page for ongoing updates.

Focus on Palestine

Living under occupation and a constant threat of violence, Palestinians have been robbed of nearly every basic human right. Food insecurity; poor water quality; limited access to healthcare; lack of education opportunities; high unemployment; and restricted movement are only a few of the many problems the people of Palestine are forced to face in their daily lives. 

Gaza has been described as an “open-air prison.” Years of restrictions on movement coupled with blockades have left over 2 million residents stuck with little hope of bettering their lives. Reports conclude that Gaza will soon become “unlivable” if this continues. The Palestinian refugee crisis is one of the biggest our world has faced. More than 7 million Palestinians have been displaced.

Our hope is to show the people of Palestine they have not been forgotten. Join us and support our brothers and sisters in their time of need.

Islamic Relief’s Dedication to Palestine

Islamic Relief has been working in Palestine for over two decades. Our legacy across the country has grown to help hundreds of thousands of people every year. Not only do we provide immediate emergency relief, but we work with our partners to implement long-term development programs that will help rebuild Palestine and bring hope to its people. Our efforts are expansive, covering nearly every sector Islamic Relief and its supporters have dedicated their time and energy to. This includes:

  • Food aid
  • Access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene
  • Access to healthcare including psychosocial support and awareness for women and children 
  • Childhood development efforts including access to education and support for orphans and children with disabilities
  • Sustainable livelihood support including youth entrepreneurship and women empowerment efforts 
  • Emergency aid for families in Gaza including improved physical and mental wellbeing through shelter rehabilitation and psychosocial support
  • Winter assistance

We Need YOUR Help

Thanks to you, we’ve been able to accomplish so much. But there’s still so much more to do. By continuing to support our efforts in Palestine, you can help make a difference in the lives of those in desperate need.

QUICK DONATE

Orphans and Children

Be There for Children in Need

There are roughly 153 million orphans worldwide. And every day, nearly 6,000 more children become orphans. To add, one in five children lives in a conflict or war zone, and studies show that these children are at high risk of experiencing violence, psychological stress, hunger, loss of education, and/or lack of access to basic resources. Over 12 million refugee boys and girls have not only lost their homes, but are no longer able to make a future for themselves.

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), said: “‘I and the one who looks after an orphan will be like this in Paradise,’ showing his middle and index fingers and separating them.” –Bukhari

HopeRaysIntl Project is working to improve the lives of orphaned children by protecting them from illness; providing them with educational opportunities; and giving them access to proper nutrition, water, and sanitation services. Donors can show these boys and girls the power of love in these ways:

Orphan Sponsorship

HopeRaysIntl Project sponsors are helping transform the lives of children by providing access to essentials like food, healthcare, education, shelter and more. Right now, IRUSA donors are sponsoring some 28,800 orphans–couple that with HopeRaysIntl Project donors all around the world, and we are helping more than 85,000 orphans look forward to a better future.

Become the newest person to join this community of compassionate sponsors today. Make your donation of $100/month ($1,200/year) to provide the care and support that can help an orphan escape extreme poverty.

Education

Back to School

Research shows 244 million children and youth between the ages of 6-18 are out of school worldwide. Islamic Relief believes education has the power to transform lives. Our programs around the world, including here at home, provide access to education for vulnerable communities so that they can break the cycle of poverty and build sustainable livelihoods for generations to come. This back to school season, you can help make a difference in a child’s life. Donate to our Global Education Fund today. For more ways to help, visit to see how you can help orphans receive higher education.

Focus on Education

Access to education is a basic human right. Unfortunately, for millions of children around the world, this isn’t the case. Over 50% of children in low and middle income countries leave primary school unable to read, and in some countries, it’s significantly higher. For refugee children specifically, only half of them attend any primary school at all, and less than a quarter attended secondary school. While there are a multitude of contributing reasons, poverty remains the biggest barrier. Political instability, conflict, violence, and even areas susceptible to natural disasters all have a major impact on a child’s access to education. And without quality education, children are less likely to have the resources to build sustainable livelihoods, further trapping them in the cycle of poverty.

Why donate crypto to charity?

Donations made via crypto are fast, secure, and irreversible. They can be transferred almost immediately while avoiding the barriers of the traditional financial system. Here are a few reasons why you should consider donating through crypto.
1. Transparent payments
All the payments made through Blockchain can be traced back to their origins through a blockchain explorer. Anyone from the network can look up transactions of public addresses. Such a level of transparency will make NGOs accountable for using funds responsibly.
2. Borderless & instant
Worldwide accessibility and instant transfers make crypto donations effective amidst the global crisis. Recently, when a devastating earthquake hit Turkey, the global crypto community donated over $12 million to the affected people. That’s not all. Ukraine received over $70 million in crypto donations for its fight against Russia.
3. Private & anonymous
While crypto transactions can be traced, one cannot associate your real-world identity with your crypto address. This is important when you are donating to an NGO, as many people would prefer to keep their contributions anonymous.
4. Cheaper to process
The processing fees for credit/debit card payments range between 2.2 to 7.5 percent. When it comes to crypto, fees can be as low as 0.5% per transaction. In fact, there are a lot of crypto payment processors that do not levy any fees on donations. Thus, when you donate via crypto, there are no intermediaries in the transaction. Everything you pay goes directly to the NGO.
Crypto donations are fast, efficient, secure, transparent, and immutable. Let’s look at all the leading NGOs accepting crypto donations worldwide.

Refugee Aid

Focus on Refugees

As of 2022, 100 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide, 27.1 million of whom are refugees. Conflict, violence, and persecution are among the main reasons people are forced to flee their homes, and according to the UN Refugee Agency, we are currently witnessing the highest number of displacement ever recorded. Similar to most situations like this, children are the most affected, making up more than 40% of all refugees.

Two thirds of people displaced across borders come from just five countries: Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Myanmar. Thanks to support from donors like you, Islamic Relief is able to provide refugee aid to all five populations, both inside and outside of their respective countries.

HopeRaysIntl PROJECT Dedication to Refugee Aid

HopeRaysIntl is truly dedicated to refugee aid across the various sectors we work in including food aid; access to clean water and sanitation, health, education; emergency shelter; economic empowerment and social inclusion; sustainable livelihood opportunities; and winter aid. Around the world, we’re helping vulnerable communities build better lives for themselves for generations to come. In addition to refugees from Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Myanmar, we also provide aid to Iraqi and Palestinian refugees across Lebanon, Jordan, and Türkiye.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Deadly Escalation in Palestine Violence has escalated after months of ongoing tension across the region. Over 12,000 people have been killed and thousands more have been injured. In Gaza specifically, a ‘total blockade’ is in place, completely cutting off the 2 million civilians from access to food, electricity, and fuel. Food stocks in shops are “nearly exhausted”; the operation of water wells and desalination plants have stopped almost completely, forcing people to consume saline water and risking water-borne diseases; and 14 out of 35 hospitals with inpatient capacity are no longer functioning. In addition, about 1.4 million people have been internally displaced and the total number of housing units destroyed or damaged accounts for at least 42% of all housing units in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of people remaining in the north are struggling to survive. On November 12, a total of 76 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies were allowed entry through the Rafah Border Crossing, bringing the total amount of aid trucks allowed in to 981. The entry of fuel, which is desperately needed to operate life-saving equipment, remains banned. To add, the process of evacuating severely wounded people from hospitals through the crossing is moving very slowly – only 99 wounded people have been able to leave, which is not proportional to the number of cases for which treatment is not available inside Gaza. While issues related to the delivery of humanitarian aid persist, IRUSA partners have successfully completed the following interventions: Distribution of food aid to families Provision of 2,500+ hygiene kits to people in shelters Provision of vital medical supplies to three hospitals including Hayfa Hospital, Al-Awda Hospital, and Al-Ahli Arab Hospital Access to mobile clinics for 23,400 people in shelters Immediate trauma response for 4,000-5,000 people Our partners are continuing to work on the procurement and stockpiling of water, food and non-food items including blankets and mattresses for winter, and medical supplies, to be delivered once a pathway for humanitarian aid is established.