Middle East Conflict

As a result of the increasing humanitarian need in Gaza since October 2023, Help decided to start humanitarian operations and then set out in search of suitable partners on the ground.

We currently supply drinking water to around 15,000 people in Gaza City and Dair Al Balah and ensure a long-term drinking water supply. Help also supports Palestinian refugees in Cairo, Egypt, by providing food and hygiene items to mothers and children, rent subsidies, and health and psychosocial care.

Currently, 100% of the population (2.1 million people) in Gaza is directly threatened by famine. The latest IPC report confirms that 22% of the population, around half a million people, are in IPC phase 5 and are therefore affected by famine.

However, among all these people, there are those who are prioritised for distributions of relief items and hot meals according to humanitarian standards. These include the elderly, people with chronic illnesses or disabilities, pregnant women and children. 

Source: IPC (22 August 2025)

Help acts in accordance with humanitarian standards in a needs-based approach and aims to provide people affected by disasters or conflicts with the support they most urgently need to survive. 

Help always describes the project activities (and therefore also the contents of the aid packages) according to the current state of knowledge. Our donation examples are subject to change as required.

Due to the often volatile nature of humanitarian crises, the needs of affected people can change and therefore our aid measures are also subject to change. In addition, there are challenges in procurement, logistics and security risks that restrict the work of humanitarian aid workers. 

Help is monitoring and reviewing the situation in Gaza very closely due to the volatile security situation. As Help plans and implements its aid measures in cooperation with locally established partner organizations, there are currently no Help employees on the ground. There are no plans for Help employees to be deployed to Gaza in the future. To ensure the safety of our partner organizations' employees, we offer them support in the form of advice and implementation of safety measures by our safety officer upon request. However, the responsibility for compliance with and implementation of security measures remains with the local partner organization.    

In crisis and disaster contexts, the governments and authorities of the affected country bear the main responsibility for protecting and providing for their population. If a country does not have sufficient resources or capacities to meet the basic needs of the affected population, international aid organisations such as Help become active directly or indirectly via partners to help bridge gaps in supplies. This applies, for example, to countries whose economic or humanitarian situation is extremely tense and which are dependent on foreign aid to ensure that the population is supplied. Humanitarian needs are the top priority here.

Israel is an economically strong country. In 2023, Israel was ranked 25th in the United Nations Human Development Index, which is also known as the prosperity indicator. In comparison: Germany ranked 7th, Lebanon 109th and Syria 157th.

So far, the Israeli government has not declared a state of emergency or asked for international aid. Should this change, Help will contact potential partner organisations and examine possible aid measures in order to take action if necessary.