Gaza urgently needs a more effective

humanitarian approach

By: Othman Moqbel

The ceasefire agreement in Gaza has now held for a month. There have been critical moments and violations, but the mediators have so far managed to keep the deal alive. This has allowed many of the 1.9 million displaced people to move back to areas they had fled from, easing the strain on southern and central Gaza which had hosted large makeshift camps without the necessary infrastructure. The ceasefire has certainly brought a sense of relief to the Gaza Strip, which has endured unimaginable suffering for 15 months. But for the families who have survived the relentless bombing and destruction, the battle is far from over. They face a new war – one against poverty, hunger, homelessness, and despair. Homes lie in ruins, hospitals are overwhelmed, and schools are either destroyed or still shelter the displaced and homeless. Gaza has been set back by decades. Aid packages are filled exclusively with pantry items. Oil, flour, ghee, rice, tinned beans and tomatoes, and tuna. There are no fresh fruits, vegetables, meat or eggs. The long-term health effects of 15 months without fresh food will surely only be understood in the coming years. Worse still, these aid packages are still not enough and do not reach all people who are in need. Gaza requires 600 trucks of food daily for at least four consecutive months to address acute malnutrition. Hundreds more will be needed every day to return to a humane living standard, and for years to come. Many of the food items like eggs, chicken, fresh fruit and vegetables are now available in some parts of Gaza, but they are for sale. That is because a significant portion of the trucks that have entered Gaza are not aid. They carry commercial goods, including food, that are then sold to the few Palestinians who can afford them at exorbitant prices. It is clear the current humanitarian response cannot provide what the Palestinians of Gaza need to begin to rebuild their lives. Gaza has been scorched. Most of its farmland has been destroyed and parts of it covered in rubble or toxic residue – remnants of a violent bombing campaign on a civilian population. Nothing will grow for years to come. The economy of the Strip is all but destroyed. The vast majority of working-age people are unemployed and have no hope of securing employment in the near future. Palestinian families simply cannot survive on packages of flour, rice and canned fish. With aid distribution faltering and dignity being stripped away, the urgency for a new approach has never been clearer. People in Gaza need a more dignified way to receive support that can help them recover in the long run. Seeing the inadequacies of the current humanitarian response, our organisation decided to launch its “Extend Your Table” initiative, which is rooted in solidarity, compassion, and shared humanity. Rather than relying on the often inconsistent and inadequate aid that reaches Gaza, we are empowering people around the world to make a tangible difference by twinning with families in Gaza. Through monthly donations, people can directly support a Palestinian family, providing not just food but also dignity and hope for a better tomorrow. Beneficiaries will receive cash vouchers enabling them to decide how to meet their own needs – a choice which hasn’t been provided to them since the start of the horrors in Gaza. Providing families the dignity of choice in how to care for themselves does not even begin to address the issues, but it will be a start. We hope this initiative will help restore agency, foster connections, and ensure that basic needs are met for Palestinian men, women and children, who have experienced unimaginable suffering and devastation. Such a holistic approach can not only provide immediate relief, but support economic recovery, education, and health. We very much hope other organisations will also adopt different, more efficient strategies in Gaza that offer more dignified and humane support for Palestinians. The road to recovery will be long, but we can be part of the solution.

Note: Tanzeem-e-Islami only provides the severity of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and in no way endorses the undertakings of the NGO mentioned in the article.

Ref: https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2025/2/19/gaza-urgently-needs-a-more-effective-humanitarian-approach