Meeting urgent needs in Gaza through Cash, Clean Water, and Life-Saving Awareness

The Issue

Gaza is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, worsened by decades of Israeli occupation, a 17-year blockade, and ongoing war. Since October 7, 2023, the situation has tremendously deteriorated. As of April 8th , 2024, over 50,800 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 116,000 injured, with the majority of the population displaced. According to the UN, at least 1.9 million people (about 90% of the population) across the Gaza Strip were displaced during the war. Many have been displaced repeatedly, some 10 times or more.

Essential services have collapsed, clean water is scarce, food insecurity is widespread, and healthcare and sanitation systems are overwhelmed. Malnutrition among children is at critical levels, and education has nearly ground to a halt due to damaged or repurposed schools. Ongoing bombardments and ground operations across Gaza continue to inflict heavy civilian casualties and widespread destruction

The Project

This project seeks to save lives and ease the suffering of conflict-affected families in Gaza by improving access to essential goods and services amidst a deepening humanitarian crisis. Guided by UN cluster coordination and on-the-ground assessments by DCA/NCA and its partners, the response focuses on meeting the most urgent needs.

A core component of the project is the provision of Emergency Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (EMPCA) to most vulnerable families, allowing them to purchase food, medicine, hygiene items, and other basic necessities.

At the same time, the project supports informal shelters through critical Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) interventions, including water trucking, the provision of storage tanks, desludging, installation of mobile latrines, minor sewage repairs, and the distribution of hygiene kits alongside hygiene awareness activities.

Recognizing the ongoing dangers posed by unexploded ordnance, the project also delivers Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) and Conflict Preparedness and Prevention (CPP) sessions for both children and adults. These awareness campaigns aim to reduce risks and strengthen community preparedness and resilience. Together, these interventions offer life-saving support to families enduring severe displacement, famine and extreme loss in one of the world’s most challenging humanitarian settings.

Solid waste collection 2, Gaza 2024-2025

Solid waste collection 3, GAZA 2024-2025

The Change

By combining emergency cash assistance with targeted Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) interventions and Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) activities, the project addresses urgent humanitarian needs and aims to improve basic living conditions for displaced and vulnerable populations in Gaza.

In the current context, where Israeli military operations and airstrikes continue and humanitarian access is severely restricted, meaningful change remains out of reach. With aid entry completely blocked and conditions deteriorating daily, the project focuses on delivering life-saving relief and essential services to help affected families survive.

Results

Progress under our Gaza project so far includes key achievements across WASH interventions, implemented by DCA/NCA while EMPCA and EORE activities are implemented by our local partner. Under WASH, 540 cubic meters of drinking water have been distributed through daily water trucking (averaging 40 cubic meters per day), reaching around 13,000 internally displaced peoples in Khan Younis.

In parallel, 967 cubic meters of solid waste have been collected using heavy machinery, laborers, and donkey carts, depending on the location. The waste has been transferred to designated dumping sites in coordination with the Solid Waste Management Council of the Southern Governorate.

Under the EMPCA-component, 447 families (totalling 2,458 individuals) received multipurpose cash for the value of 1,000 ILS (app. 330 USD) to cover their most urgent needs, including food, medicine, etc. As part of EORE, 211 awareness sessions were carried out, with life-saving awareness materials distributed to IDPs, reaching 4,419 people in total.

“Dignity in Drops” – Nour’s story

Nour, a 35-year-old mother of five from a marginalized area in eastern Rafah, was forced to evacuate her home on the very first day of the war. Since October 7th, 2023, she and her family have been displaced over five times across the southern part of the Gaza Strip. She recalls having to leave without any belongings, relying entirely on humanitarian aid and the kindness of neighbors for basic needs.

She described securing water as the most exhausting and unbearable part of each day, calling it a “nearly impossible mission.” Nour, her husband, and their five children struggled daily to obtain water for both drinking and basic household tasks. At first, they purchased drinking water at three ILS for four litres (around 1 USD), but it was never enough. With no income, they had to ration their usage. Often, they walked long distances searching for unpolluted drinking water, sometimes finding none.

Having clean water, that I’m not afraid to use, gives me peace

Tearfully, she shared that the contaminated water they used led to skin infections for all four of her daughters, worsened by the absence of medical care.

Now, with water trucks reaching her shelter daily, her burden has eased. “Having clean water that I’m not afraid to use, gives me peace,” she says, grateful for a small renewed sense of safety and dignity.