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Crisis in Gaza
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A Palestinian woman sits on the remains of her home after an Israeli air strike in Rafah In December 2008. |
Of the 1.5 million people in Gaza, 80 per cent are dependent on humanitarian aid as the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip continues.
The entry of major essential goods like materials for reconstruction remains limited and three-quarters of the damage and destruction caused to civilian infrastructure during the Israeli military operation “Cast Lead” in December 2008-January 2009, has still not been repaired or reconstructed.
Many people living in Gaza have little or no access to clean water, food or power.
Oxfam is there
Oxfam continues to support partner organisations responding to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Clean water, sanitation and hygiene
In the first three months following the war that begain in December 2008, Oxfam distributed more than 40 million litres of water, reaching some 100,000 people. We have completed repairs to sewage systems in three communities and to a water pumping station. Oxfam has been providing hygiene information and materials to prevent outbreaks of disease.
Medical care
After providing ambulance and emergency medical services during the fighting, our partners have expanded their work to include home-based and community health care. We also organised psycho-social group therapy sessions with local partners for 180 women traumatised by the war.
Food
An Oxfam partner has distributed food packets to 20,000 people in the immediate aftermath. We then helped provide fresh produce and other foods to more than 10,000 people – much of it grown by Gazan farmers whose fields escaped serious damage from the war. In its food distributions, Oxfam aims to reach the most vulnerable groups, like women-headed households and families badly affected by injuries and disabilities.
Long term support
In the occupied Palestinian territories, Oxfam and our partner organisations help poor people establish small businesses, gain access to markets, and improve labor conditions. We provide vocational training and legal aid, as well as basic health services focusing on care for women and children. We monitor human rights violations and support women’s and refugees' rights in particular. We help provide water, rooftop storage tanks and cisterns, and public health interventions to thousands of Palestinians, and we support local partners in implementing sustainable rural development and food security projects.
In Israel, Oxfam and its partners work to secure equal rights for disadvantaged Israeli citizens, support women's groups, and help poor Israeli women support their families by setting up small businesses. An Oxfam partner is pioneering the sale of fair-trade products in Israel and the marketing of Palestinian olive oil through Israeli outlets. We also support Israeli organisations fostering a dialogue on peace and defending human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Latest research report
- The road to olive farming: challenges to developing the economy of olive oil in the West Bank October 2010 (PDF 1.15MB)
In pictures
More resources
- Latest news on the Gaza humanitarian crisis
- Rebuilding Gaza: Putting people before politics (PDF 940KB)
- Voices from Gaza (PDF 303KB)
- Read more on Oxfam's response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza on the Oxfam International website
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