Ceasefire agreement: What would it mean for DEC charities?

Following the proposed ceasefire agreement, the DEC and its member charities are monitoring the potential impact on the delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza.

DEC members and their local partners are already providing lifesaving aid in Gaza. But the needs remain huge. With the anticipated increased aid access our members hope to do more to reach people with food, shelter and medical support. 

What does the ceasefire agreement mean for DEC member charities' ability to deliver aid?

The ceasefire agreement could provide DEC charities an opportunity to scale up the aid they are delivering in Gaza, as well as some respite from the enormous challenges and risks they have faced every day in their work.

New access routes and the opportunity to use existing routes more widely would allow them to increase the amount of urgent aid being delivered to people in Gaza, many of whom are enduring an unimaginably harsh winter after more than a year of devastating conflict.  

Some bakeries, hospitals and other essential facilities in Gaza that were forced to close during the conflict could also be reopened.

With the ceasefire agreed, member charities and their local partners hope to rapidly expand their operations in Gaza as much as any restrictions allow. Donations to the DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal are vital to enabling them to reach more families with lifesaving aid.  

What are DEC charities doing to support people in Gaza now?  

Cold weather and rain in recent weeks in Gaza have further worsened the conditions in camps, with floods inundating tents, and cold temperatures causing sickness amid a dire shortage of medical care.

Member charities and their local partners working on the ground have been able to provide winter support including warm bedding, clean drinking water and hygiene supplies but much more support is needed.

They have been constantly adapting their response to cope with limited deliveries of aid, and focussing on support that does not rely on external supplies, such as cash assistance, medical care and psychosocial services.  

Some of examples of how DEC charities have supported people in Gaza over the last month:

• Oxfam and their local partners are providing families in the Deir al Balah and Khan Yunis areas of Gaza with cash assistance, to cope with spiralling prices at local markets. 
   
• The British Red Cross and their partners provided vital medical care to the many sick and injured in Gaza, as well as supplying desperately needed medicine.
   
• Concern Worldwide and their local partners aimed to distribute around 5,000 litres of clean water every two days in Gaza. They also distributed hygiene supplies, and built sanitation facilities. 
   
• ActionAid's partner in Gaza, WEFAQ, have been providing people with fresh vegetables. Fresh produce is in very limited supply across Gaza and 1.8 million people are facing food shortages.

Are any DEC member charities working on the release of hostages? 

One of the DEC members is the British Red Cross, part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which includes the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).  

The ICRC has a role as a neutral intermediary between parties in conflict. It helped re-unite more than 100 hostages with their families during a pause in fighting in 2023. The ICRC continues to call for the humane and dignified treatment of the hostages and for the ICRC to be granted access to them to check on their welfare, provide medical treatment and re-establish contact with their families.

Mirjana Spoljaric, the president of the ICRC, reaffirmed their “commitment to see all hostages, including those from the kibbutz, are returned” this week. 

The DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal has so far raised more than £37.5 million since it launched in October 2024. 

Appeal funds are already making a difference to people across Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank and Syria, but more money is needed and we continue to appeal for donations.