Première Urgence Internationale deploys emergency aid to Gaza after the Israeli strikes
Following the Israeli air strikes in Gaza, which left 46 people dead and 360 injured, Première Urgence Internationale has set up an emergency response to help the population, which is already facing a very worrying humanitarian situation.
Israeli strikes in Gaza have destroyed partially or entirely more than 1700 homes | © Première Urgence Internationale
46 dead, including 15 children, and 360 injured: this is the latest toll from the latest air strikes launched by Israel on Friday 6 August and the following days in Gaza (Palestinian Ministry of Health). These raids also partially or completely destroyed more than 1,700 homes, worsening the situation of an already vulnerable population, marked by 15 years of blockade imposed by Israel.
Very quickly, our teams on the ground identified several emergency areas and set up a response adapted to the needs. We provided assistance through emergency cash transfers to nearly a thousand Gazans whose homes were totally or severely destroyed by the August 2022 strikes. “This support is crucial for the affected households who have lost their homes and/or possessions and are in dire need of cash to meet their families’ basic needs, buy non-food items or repair their shelters“, explains Hazem Almadhoun, Project Manager in Gaza for Première Urgence Internationale.
In addition, the air strikes have resulted in a massive amount of rubble in the streets, hindering access to basic services and destroying water and sewage networks. In order to help municipalities remove rubble and repair roads, Première Urgence Internationale will provide fuel aid to support municipalities to ensure the continuity of services provided to the population and to strengthen their capacity to respond to the needs of the inhabitants of Gaza, in the context of severe power cuts. This fuel assistance will also be provided to two health centres, the Nasser Medical Complex and the European Gaza Hospital.
A CATASTROPHIC HUMANITARIAN SITUATION
“These latest bombardments have exacerbated an already catastrophic humanitarian situation,” recalls Anthony Dutemple, head of the Première Urgence Internationale mission in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. While the population is undergoing its fifteenth year of blockade, the poverty rate has reached 64% in Gaza (source: OCHA). UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) and the WFP (World Food Programme) provide nearly 60% of the main food products in Gaza.
The issue of mental health is also of great concern as existing mental health services do not seem to be able to adequately cover all the needs of the communities and social norms, stigma, personal beliefs and taboos surrounding mental health hinder access to care (Première Urgence Internationale – Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing Assessment outcome report, 2020).
These projects are supported and financed by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs – Crisis and Support Center (CDCS).
