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Photo: Paul Jeffrey/ACT Alliance
The Middle East - Marking One Year10/7/2024 ![]() This week (Monday, October 7) marks one year since the escalation in violence in the Middle East, in which 1200 Israeli citizens were killed by Hamas and more than 200 Israelis were taken hostage, and one year since Israel’s ensuing response: bombardment in Gaza and the West Bank, and the spread of the war in the Middle East. As of this writing, nearly 42,000 Palestinians have been killed, and hundreds of thousands more have been displaced – many of them multiple times – from their homes to other parts of Gaza, and made refugees in neighboring countries. Amid this humanitarian crisis of still untold proportions, in recent days, the violence and threats have expanded into Lebanon, even as the war persists in Gaza and the West Bank. Over the last year, Week of Compassion has been responding, on behalf of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), supporting initiatives to bring relief in impacted communities and in regions bearing the influx of refugees and displaced persons. While direct aid to Gaza is still heavily restricted due to blockades, Week of Compassion is continuing to support partners there and in the surrounding areas – the West Bank, Jordan, and Lebanon – to support their responses, as the conflict has expanded. Week of Compassion partners have been particularly responsive to massive needs for shelter, water, and food security; provision of medical care and supplies; and addressing the educational and psychosocial impact of this conflict. They are working tirelessly to make provisions where they are able. Shelter, Water, Food Security Widespread destruction has left almost the entire population of Gaza without access to clean drinking water or sufficient food; an estimated 2.2 million people are at risk of famine. ![]() The Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees (DSPR) of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) – a Disciples partner that Week of Compassion has supported through Global Ministries and ACT Alliance – partnered with local churches in the north of Gaza to establish a food distribution program in the earliest days of the conflict. The work now extends to southern Gaza, reaching the most vulnerable, especially the elderly, ill, and women and children. As the conflict has intensified in Lebanon, more than one million people have been displaced, 4000 residential buildings destroyed, and 20,000 showing significant damage. ACT Alliance members, including DSPR and the MECC, are mobilizing to respond to the current displacement, with support for 150 newly opened shelters, including water and sanitation, food and medical parcels, mattresses and blankets, and basic shelter assistance. Medical Care and Supplies Gaza’s healthcare system is no longer functional, and both medical personnel and patients are constantly subjected to military attacks. The entire population is at extreme risk, especially those who cannot get to shelter, or flee to pursue other options. The situation is especially dire for the chronically ill, injured, pregnant women, and children under five. ![]() MECC-DSPR has recently been included in the World Health Organization and United Nations joint effort at polio vaccination. As one of 18 medical points across Gaza, five teams will reach thousands of children (ages 1 through 10) daily, ensuring they receive the protection they need against polio. It has also recently opened a medical clinic that received 400 outpatients on its first day. At the same time, Week of Compassion’s response has supported DSPR’s remarkable transformation of damaged spaces into functional health centers. In central and south Gaza, the DSPR clinic is one of only four serving the population, including primary health and dental care, medical lab and pharmacy services, mother/child health support, medicines and hygiene kits, alongside critical psychosocial and emotional care. “So far,” DSPR reports, “we have been able to reach 28,466 children and adults (females represent 60% of the beneficiaries) since the beginning of the humanitarian response.” Education and Psychosocial Care According to the Ministry of Education, Gaza has lost more than 9000 students and 400 educational staff. Nearly 85% of school buildings are either being used as housing and shelter, or have been destroyed. The impact of these losses leaves an estimated 625,000 students – essentially the entire student population – without access to education. The impact of such decimation will echo for years to come. In May, Week of Compassion highlighted support directed to Dar al-Kalima University, collaborating with the United Church of Christ through our shared Global Ministries. All twelve universities in Gaza have been destroyed, and all records are missing. Teachers, students, and staff have been displaced, injured, and killed, and more than 80% of school buildings directly hit or damaged. With Week of Compassion assistance, Dar al-Kalima is providing educational services for displaced university students of Gaza, offering electronic courses to help them complete their studies and graduate. ![]() In addition to providing emergency funds, food, shelter, and medical care, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) – a Disciples partner supported by Week of Compassion through ACT Alliance – has offered counseling for parents and students. As organizations work to meet the basic needs of daily life, it is vital to attend to the deep-seated issues that come with living through daily trauma and fear. Therapies include large play sessions for children, group and individual therapies for adults, and psychological first-aid sessions where coping skills and resources are shared. While international aid groups and United Nations panels call for a cessation of warfare and for immediate access to assistance, the devastation persists and concerns deepen. Peter Makari, the Global Ministries Global Relations Minister for the Middle East and Europe, shared this note, recently received from our partners at DSPR: “We always need to be reminded that while we work to address the immediate needs and consequences, we must not lose sight of the root causes of this conflict. Whatever efforts we make, it is essential that we remain focused on the underlying issues that fuel this war and continue to call for justice, peace, and long-term solutions.” Peter added, “The situation in Gaza is horrific, and our partners are doing heroic work there.” At the one year mark of this iteration of conflict in the Middle East, Week of Compassion joins Disciples and ecumenical partners to remain constant in prayer, faithful in response, committed to peace with justice, and ever-inspired by the colleagues, partners, and collaborators with whom we serve. 100% of contributions marked “Middle East” will support the work of Week of Compassion partners providing crisis relief and ongoing long-term response. For more, read A Joint Statement on the Current Crisis in Lebanon and the Middle East (Sept 30 2024) from the Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) & United Church of Christ. Comments are closed.
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