How to help Palestinian civilians
We’ll keep it simple: people are dying.
Whatever your stance on the political underpinnings of the current situation in Gaza, the reality is that hundreds have been killed and displaced in an already volatile region. Israeli air strikes have razed press offices and killed doctors, disrupting an already precarious healthcare system. The environment is desperate, and help is needed.
Some readers may question why an LGBTQ+ focused website like Gayming Magazine is choosing to speak out on the situation, especially when LGBTQ+ rights in the territory leave much to be desired. The answer here is also simple: we’re human, and cannot sit silent in the face of atrocities. More specifically, queer Palestinians will be amongst those suffering, and anything that can help alleviate that pain or bring about an end to the conflict will help them too, even if indirectly.
Below are a selection of charities and organisations you can donate to in order to support relief efforts on the ground. Please offer your support, if you are able to do so.
Palestine Children’s Relief Fund
For three decades, the PCRF has been provided humanitarian assistance to injured and sick children in Gaza. The organisation has worked to secure international treatment for children unable to receive appropriate care locally, and built the only children’s cancer clinic in the region. It is also involved in food and medicine provision, and helps provide sponsorship to orphaned and disabled children.
Anera
Working with on-the-ground partners in Palestine, Jordan, and Lebanon, Anera is a non-profit organisation dedicating to providing resources. Aiming to deliver health, education, and economic development, it serves both emergency relief and long-term needs in the area.
United Nations Relief and Works Agency
The UNRWA provides food assistance in Palestine and other war-torn territories. They also provide emergency protection, counselling, and health support for those in the region, while providing work opportunities to refugees. You can also read more here about the background of the crisis, and what UNRWA does.
Medical Aid for Palestinians
MAP is a UK-based organisation that has spent nearly 40 years providing medical support and healthcare to Palestinians in need, specifically women and children. You can donate here to assist MAP in providing emergency relief.
Doctors Without Borders
Also known as Médecins Sans Frontières, Doctors Without Borders is a long-running and highly respected organisation, dedicated to providing healthcare and relief work in disaster zones around the world. It currently has medical teams in Jerusalem and on the Gaza Strip, assisting with care and support as the conflict escalates.
Friends of Al-Aqsa
Friends of Al-Aqsa is a UK based non-profit NGO, focusing on human rights and protecting the al-Aqsa Sanctuary in Jerusalem, which has been central to current events. Read more about the group’s efforts and campaigns here – UK readers can also contact their MPs via a form.
Save the Children
Save the Children is another long-standing organisation, whose current relief campaign is aimed at supporting victims in both Gaza, where more than 60 children have been killed in the last week, and Israel, where two children died in retaliatory attacks. Save the Children also engages in educational support work, aiming to support children’s futures.
Palestine Red Crescent Society
A local Palestinian organisation, PRCS was founded in 1968 and is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It provides the majority of ambulance services in the territory, and runs the Emergency Medical Institute, which trains staff and emergency responders in line with international standards.
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