SMÖØ¿Ú

SMÖØ¿Ú supporters have generously donated over £4 million to provide emergency aid through two on the ground agencies; WFP and UNRWA to reach those impacted by the Israel-Gaza war in the past nine months.

Since 7th October, nearly 1.9 million people in Gaza have been displaced multiple times, with mass destruction of civilian property and infrastructure. Hunger has reached catastrophic levels due to extremely limited access for humanitarian organisations working to reach civilians in some parts of the Gaza Strip.

The northern governates are most difficult to access, with severely weakened children continuing to die of hunger and deadly diseases that prey on the most vulnerable. The risk of famine and mass starvation remains a real danger, with an estimated 2.2 million people facing high levels of acute food insecurity. Almost half a million people are facing catastrophic conditions, at IPC Category 5, with households experiencing an extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities.Ìý

The current escalation of conflict in the south, particularly in and around Rafah, is having a devastating direct impact on civilians there and a serious knock-on effect on those reliant on aid convoys that cannot pass through the area. Exhausted from constant displacement, hunger, and fear, people are desperate for a ceasefire.ÌýÌý

Working collectively with our partners on the ground, SMÖØ¿Ú provided 2.5 million meals in Gaza during the month of Ramadan. through our partnership with WFP, 1.5 million ‘Ramadan Kareem’ hot meals were distributed during the month of Ramadan, scaling up WFP provision from 200,000 to 500,000 meals per day. The focus was on the most vulnerable, including women and children, the elderly and those with disabilities. Special emphasis was placed on scaling up meal distributions in the northern parts of the Gaza Strip, where nine out of ten Palestinians are eating less than one meal a day and struggling to find clean, drinkable water.Ìý

Due to the continual drastic need, SMÖØ¿Ú has pledged to continue its partnership with WFP, committing to a further 750,000 hot meals outside of Ramadan. Each cooked meal contains at least 1,500 calories including rice, pasta, fortified vegetable oil, tomato sauce, legumes, and pulses. The aim is to be a source of hope and practical help for those with limited cooking facilities.Ìý

Through SMÖØ¿Ú’s partnership with the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), food parcels distributed have amounted to a million meals during the month of Ramadan as well as water and vital medication. Since the start of the conflict, over 25,000 trucks have entered Gaza with emergency humanitarian aid through a variety of agencies, spearheaded by UNRWA and WFP. To date, a total of 380,225 families (nearly 1.9 million people) have been reached with flour multiple times. Six of 24 UNRWA medical facilities are still running, and these are providing primary health care, non-communicable disease care, medication, vaccinations, as well as antenatal and postnatal health care.

SMÖØ¿Ú has committed a further £500,000 as part of its next phase of support with UNRWA and is set to provide tents to 500 families. Each tent can shelter a family of five from the elements, and each family will also be provided with kitchen packs which will include cooking utensils and pots. Ìý

Yasrab Shah, Fundraising Director at SMÖØ¿Ú, says:Ìý'We can’t thank our donors enough for their hugely generous response to the horrendous and unprecedented situation in Gaza. Your donations are a real lifeline and are making a massive difference to so many people suffering in this ongoing conflict. SMÖØ¿Ú will continue to upscale its efforts in Gaza with its chosen partner organisations UNWRA and WFP who have continued to work flat out to meet the demands of the people of Gaza by providing hot meals, medical support and shelter. Our efforts on the ground will continue and therefore we urge our donors to keep their donations coming – you really are making the difference between life and death for some people.’Ìý

Tamara Alrifai, Director Department of External Relations and Communications at UNRWA, says: 'Since the beginning of the crisis, UNRWA and its partners have been able to provide tens of thousands of displaced people in Gaza with critical food, water supplies and medical services. SMÖØ¿Ú has been a true partner to the Agency, generously bringing in its own donors in support to the people in Gaza, most of whom have lost everything during their repeated displacements. We are truly grateful for this solidarity and commitment.'

Virginia Villar Arribas, the Deputy Director of Private Sector Partnerships at the World Food Programme, says, 'Thanks to the ongoing contributions from SMÖØ¿Ú, WFP in Palestine has been able to provide life-saving food assistance to severely vulnerable and Internally Displaced People (IDPs) caught in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. As the food security situation remains alarming in Gaza, WFP's operations - generously supported by SMÖØ¿Ú - are needed now more than ever.’Ìý

ENDSÌý

For more information please contact: Senior Press Officer Sahirah Javaid - 07736344899

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