Hunger, disease and trauma as winter beckons: Charities deliver vital aid as Disasters Emergency Committee launches Middle East Humanitarian Appeal 

Recording of today’s press available here.

The DEC, made up of 15 leading UK aid charities, today launched an Appeal to raise urgent funds to end the humanitarian catastrophe in the Middle East.    

TV appeals will be aired tonight after the evening news on BBC One, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky to highlight the Appeal. BBC and commercial radio appeals will air throughout the day.

Every pound donated by the British public will be matched by the UK Government through its UK Aid Match scheme, up to the value of £10 million.  

At a press conference to launch the appeal, aid workers spoke directly from Lebanon and the West Bank, to give an account of the desperate situation on the ground. A Save the Children humanitarian who is on leave in the UK from Gaza also described the ‘dire situation,’ with concerns over the onset of winter and potential flooding.  

New figures were also released by the IPC today showing the risk of famine in Gaza persists, with the number of people facing ‘catastrophic’ levels of hunger expected to triple between November 2024 and April 2025.

Saleh Saeed, Chief Executive of the DEC, said:

“The DEC brings together the 15 leading humanitarian organisations to respond in desperate need, and tragically now is one of those times.

“Over the past year, conflict in the Middle East has devastated lives across the region, and millions have fled their homes in search of safety. Right now, millions of people across Gaza Lebanon and the wider region are in urgent need of food, shelter and medical care. The humanitarian horror we have been witnessing across our screens is truly shocking.

“Today, we are launching an urgent appeal, the DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal.  By working together with our member charities and our trusted local partners on the ground, we hope to reach millions across the region who urgently need shelter, food and basic supplies to survive.”

DEC member charities are responding in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank are providing lifesaving food - hot meals, food kits, fresh vegetables – as well as water, hygiene kits, shelter, core relief items like blankets and mattresses, medicine, and mental health support.  

In Israel, families of those held hostage desperately await news of their loved ones, tens of thousands of people are displaced and many more are dealing with trauma caused by the conflict. The DEC is monitoring the evolving situation and a number of DEC charities are ready to expand their response to include Israel.

Madara Hettiarachchi Director of Programmes and Accountability, at the DEC, said:  

“Given the chaotic environment, people are deeply distressed and mental health and psychosocial support has been a lifeline.

“Over the last year we've been documenting the incredible work our member charities have been doing to deliver aid in the most difficult circumstances. Operating in Gaza and the surrounding area comes up with risks and challenges such as fuel shortages, limited storage capacity and fluctuating changes in aid access and the availability of physical cash.  

“Despite these extraordinary challenges and risks and rapidly changing situation they have been surging their humanitarian responses and demonstrating their ability to deliver life-saving, life sustaining aid. But the scale of the need is overwhelming and funds are now running out.”

Rachael Cummings, Humanitarian Director for Save the Children Gaza, was speaking while home in the UK on leave from Gaza. She said:

“The situation is dire, and very difficult. There’s nowhere safe for children in Gaza. They’ve been living in constant fear.

“The numbers are staggering - an estimated 20,000 children in Gaza are unaccompanied or separated or missing in the last 12 months, and those missing are presumed dead under the rubble.

“We are deeply concerned about mental health, with 1 million needing mental health support. Thousands have lost not only their immediate family but also their homes, schools and a sense of normality. Save is providing learning opportunities to give children a safe and secure environment.

“The DEC appeal is extremely important to Save the Children and our partners, it will allow us to continue the work we are doing which is lifesaving.”

The press conference heard that in Lebanon, where 1 million people have been displaced, overcrowding in shelters was becoming ‘pervasive and increasingly untenable’, with families in extremely confined spaces, enduring unsanitary conditions.  Shelters offer little protection against the cold as winter approaches.

Gheith Bittar, Executive Director of SHIFT, ActionAid’s local partner in Lebanon, said what was happening was an “urgent humanitarian crisis.” He said:

“The scale of this crisis calls for immediate attention and coordinated action.  It's about families torn apart, children who have lost their childhoods, elderly who need care and protection, and entire communities left without the means to survive.

“Families are fragmented and their dignity stripped away by circumstances beyond their control. The need for support is overwhelming, and that is why we are here today.  

“These shelters are ill equipped to endure the cold, leaving families in urgent need of additional blankets, heaters and other winterization needs. The scale of the crisis is growing beyond what we can handle alone.”

In Gaza, the Palestine Red Crescent Society is providing emergency medical services for civilians, psycho-social support, running two hospitals and field hospitals. They have lost 19 members of staff in the conflict.

Spokesperson Nibal Farsakh, Spokesperson for the Palestine Red Crescent Society said:  

“For the past year, our teams and volunteers have been working tirelessly and selflessly to save people's lives. They are the first to arrive on scene to rescue the wounded and retrieve the bodies.

“They have endured very difficult scenes every single day, forced to see children and women being killed and injured, at the same time they are worried about their families.

“Despite all of these hard circumstances, our teams still have the determination and dedication to go out every single day to save other people's lives.

“Your donation can save lives - we need medications, painkillers antibiotics, medical equipment as well as fuel. Any donation can make a difference.”  

Mr Saeed concluded:

“DEC member charities are ready to act wherever the needs are greatest and as the humanitarian crisis evolves across the region. But they urgently need more funds to meet the huge levels of need.”

People can donate online: dec.org.uk.

£10 could provide blankets for two people   
£50 could provide emergency food for five families for one week 
£100 could provide emergency shelter for five families 

ENDS  

Notes to editors:  

Media enquiries please call 07930 999 014 or 07871 309253 (out of hours).  

Interview requests: For individual interviews with panellists or other spokespeople please contact: press1@dec.org.uk  

About the DEC: The DEC brings together 15 leading UK aid charities at times of crisis overseas to raise funds quickly and efficiently. In these times of crisis, people in life-and-death situations need our help and our mission is to save, protect and rebuild lives through effective humanitarian response. The DEC’s 15 member charities are: Action Against Hunger, ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Plan International UK, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK.      

All 15 of the DEC’s members are either responding or planning to respond in the Middle East and will receive funds from this appeal. Some may work through trusted local partners. They are Action Against Hunger, ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK.    

DEC member charities are committed to the principles of neutrality, impartiality, humanity and independence – it guides all of the lifesaving work we do. As humanitarian aid agencies, we have an obligation to give aid wherever it is needed, prioritising the most urgent needs of the most vulnerable people.  

Through UK Aid Match the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) gives the British public the opportunity to have a say in how the UK aid budget is spent whilst boosting the impact of the very best British charities to change and save the lives of some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.        

UK Aid Match has increased the impact of a number of DEC appeals to help those in need around the world, including most recently the Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal in 2023.  In 2022, the UK matched up to £25 million of public donations to DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal - the largest commitment ever made to a DEC appeal through UK Aid Match.      

UK Aid Match enquiries should be directed to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Please call 020 7023 0600 (24-hour).  

How to donate:      

• Online: dec.org.uk    
• Phone: 0330 123 0333 [Standard network charges apply]    
• Text to give/SMS: for press releases: text SUPPORT to 70676 to donate £10. Other partners should use the specific text keywords they have been provided with by the DEC. [Texts cost £10 plus your standard network rate]    
• Send a cheque by post to: DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal, PO Box 999, London EC3A 3AA.