Senior leaders from four UK-based humanitarian agencies, including Christian Aid’s Chief Executive Patrick Watt, have met with King Charles to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.
Charity leaders from Medical Aid for Palestinians, the British Red Cross, Unicef UK and Christian Aid met with the monarch in-person on Thursday. The King requested the briefing to talk about the ‘acute humanitarian situation’, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.
Following the meeting, Christian Aid’s Patrick Watt said: “It was important to meet with His Majesty The King, alongside other agencies, to discuss the grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“With a quarter of a million pounds already committed to programme funds from our Middle East crisis appeal, our partners are doing extraordinary work in the most extreme conditions. They are providing mobile medical and psychological care, cash transfers to people displaced in Khan Younis, and supporting the small Christian community sheltering in Saint Porphyrius church.”
“However, to respond at scale we need unfettered humanitarian access with water and electricity reconnected. Only a full ceasefire will enable our partners and other humanitarian actors to deliver aid safely and effectively.”
In Gaza, according to the latest OCHA update dated 26 October, 7,028 Palestinians have been killed and 18,482 injured. Airstrikes have caused widespread destruction of homes, schools, healthcare facilities and telecommunication installations. With fuel for generators all but depleted, Christian Aid is warning hospitals are ceasing to function and virtually all water and sanitation services have collapsed.
Patrick Watt added: “We are grateful to everyone who has donated to our Middle East crisis appeal - your support can save lives. Every donation and prayer we offer brings hope to people facing an increasingly desperate situation. By acting together now, we can help people to survive and go on to rebuild their lives, in what we pray will be a peaceful future.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
To find out how you can support the appeal please visit the Christian Aid website.
Christian Aid has been working with local partners in the Middle East since the early 1950s. Since the current crisis began, these organisations have been responding as best they can with emergency first aid; food, from local suppliers and farmers; and other essential supplies, including water and sanitation kits.
In Gaza, Christian Aid has already transferred the funds for:
- Cash transfers to people recently displaced in Khan Younis. This was so successful that the partner immediately asked if we could do the same project again.
- Medical support, including paying for mobile treatment for chronic illnesses for displaced people and wound dressing for those who require their wounds to be dressed to reduce the chance of infection.
In Gaza, Christian Aid is now preparing to transfer the funds for:
- Distribution of a wide range of Non-Food Items (that are available in the market) to support those sheltering in Gaza City (3,500-5,000 people). This is primarily focused on people, including the small Christian community in Gaza, who are sheltering in Saint Porphyrius church, which was hit on Friday 29 October.
- Staff welfare and basic needs. Cash grants to staff, all of whom are displaced. Many have had their homes destroyed completely or partially. Also, a fund for psychosocial support staff. Two ‘pilots’ for addressing basic needs using existing local mechanisms: 1) developing a model for water distribution for hygiene with well owners across Gaza, and 2) working with local farmers who are still risking their lives to tend to their crops on the distribution of vegetables to people across Gaza.
