According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), the senseless bloodshed in the Middle East has once again claimed almost 300 lives on both sides. About half of them were uninvolved civilians, at least 66 children among them. Besides, roughly 1500 other civilians were injured in the course of the fighting, some severely.The bombing has also left a sequel of extensive destruction and despair principally in the densely populated Gaza Strip. About a hundred thousand people had to abandon their houses and apartments and seek temporary shelter and protection in schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) or with host families. Much civilian infrastructure was either extensively damaged or destroyed, including a health centre, a medical laboratory for Covid-19 testing, schools, water and sewage mains, as well as a storage facility for agricultural supplies.
To alleviate the extreme suffering of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, HEKS/EPER is providing humanitarian aid to the tune of 250,000 francs. The money will be used among other things to provide psychological support and care for traumatised children and adolescents, as well as to fund support for 173 of the worst affected smallholder and cattle-rearing families in rebuilding their agricultural livelihoods; this will be done through an unconditional cash transfer programme involving cash payments of 600 francs each over three months.
Donations account No.: PC 80-1115-1. Please mention «Emergency aid for Gaza»
Head of Media and Information Department
Dieter Wüthrich
Phone: +41 44 360 88 66
Mobile: +41 76 461 88 70
E-mail: dieter.wuethrich@heks.ch
