Middle East
Humanitarian
Appeal

Middle East
Humanitarian Appeal

Conflict in the Middle East has devastated lives. Millions of people in Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank and Syria urgently need shelter, food and basic supplies. Save lives. Donate now.

Gaza update

Can DEC charities still provide aid?

The scale of need is overwhelming

An icon by UNOCHA showing food

2.1 million

people - the entire population of Gaza - do not have enough to eat

An icon by UNOCHA showing a displaced person on the move

1.9 million

people displaced in Gaza, and tens of thousands more in Lebanon

DEC charities are providing lifesaving aid in Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank and Syria, but urgently need more funds.

In Gaza, people are dying from malnutrition and starvation. Every day is a struggle to find food, clean water and basic supplies. Safe and sustained access for humanitarian aid has never been more urgent.

In Lebanon, the ceasefire agreement at the end of last year meant some of the people displaced by conflict could return to their communities and start to rebuild their lives. Months on, many still have no home to return to and are cut off from basic services.

DEC charities and their local partners are working tirelessly to support people in unimaginably difficult conditions. Each day brings new and unexpected challenges, and they are constantly adapting their work to deliver whatever aid they can.

How you can help

You can help people affected by the crisis in the Middle East by making a donation and helping to raise money for the DEC appeal. This will allow DEC charities and their local partners to scale up their response and reach more people.

  • £30 could provide blankets for six people 
  • £50 could provide emergency food, for five families for one week
  • £100 could provide emergency shelter for five families
Nedaa*, 40, sits with her children (L-R) Amera* (12), Aseel* (2), Ahmed (9) and Hamed (7), outside the tent they now live in on the site of their destroyed home in Gaza, 28 July 2025.
Nedaa*, 40, sits with her children (L-R) Amera* (12), Aseel* (2), Ahmed (9) and Hamed (7), outside the tent they now live in on the site of their destroyed home in Gaza, 28 July 2025.

Your donations are a lifeline

Nedaa*, sits with her children Amera* , Aseel*, Ahmed and Hamed, on the site of their destroyed home in Gaza, 28 July 2025. Image: Aya ​Matrabie ​/​ ​Fairpicture

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Watch DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal -  Hunger In Gaza on YouTube.

Gaza response: October '24 to April '25

In the first six months of our response, from the launch of our appeal in October 2024 to April 2025, cash assistance provided a lifeline, allowing families to buy food and essential items from local markets. Medical staff treated patients in field hospitals and clinics, and hot meals, nutrition support and water trucking helped people to survive.

Much of this work was made possible by the increase in aid delivered during the ceasefire agreement earlier this year, but the situation has deteriorated rapidly. A full-scale blockade on supplies entering Gaza for many weeks had a devastating impact on the work of DEC charities and their local partners, and many are no longer able to deliver lifesaving food, water and medicine.

The humanitarian needs are growing by the day. Increased and safe access for aid is urgently needed to save lives.

Gaza at risk of famine

Even in these dire circumstances DEC charities are finding ways to help

Mohammad, an aid worker from Oxfam’s local partner in north Lebanon distributes hygiene kits to displaced people at a collective shelter. Photo: Fatima Ghemrawi/Utopia for Social Justice/Oxfam

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Where DEC charities are responding

Conflict in the Middle East has devastated lives across the region, and millions have fled their homes in search of safety.

DEC charities are responding in Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank and Syria to meet urgent needs. They are constantly working with their local partners to navigate the challenges in delivering vital aid. Read more about where and how our charities are responding.

Salam, a volunteer with Wefaq organisation in Gaza and partner of DEC charity ActionAid, Feb 2025. Image: Wattan Media Network/ActionAid

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How DEC charities are providing aid as the crisis evolves

Throughout the crisis DEC charities have been working hard to cope with limited deliveries of aid. Everywhere is at risk of famine, and the devastating humanitarian crisis continues to deteriorate.

As they have done throughout the crisis, DEC charities and their local partners are working tirelessly to meet some basic needs in the ways they are still able to.

Maryam, a 37-year-old mother sits with her daughter in a classroom in Lebanon

Maryam sits with her seven year old daughter Zahraa after taking part in psychological support activities, May 2025. Image: Carmen ​Yahchouchi ​/​ ​DEC ​/​ ​Fairpicture

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Local expertise helps meet urgent needs in Lebanon

The ceasefire agreement in Lebanon at the end of last year meant some of the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by conflict could return to their communities and start to rebuild their lives.

Find out more about how DEC charities have been working with local partners in Lebanon, to provide families with essential support to meet their needs.

Appeal launch video

Actors Riz Ahmed, Joe Alwyn and Ruth Negga join the call for urgent donations to help provide lifesaving aid in Gaza, Lebanon and the wider region.

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Watch "We must not look away" - Riz Ahmed, Joe Alwyn, Ruth Negga - DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal on YouTube.

Appeal News

The latest news from the situation in the Middle East.

Jump to

Sky News: Why are airdrops on Gaza so dangerous?

29 July 2025

In this explainer, Sky News repot on how The United Nations has today condemned airdrops on Gaza, warning they risk killing the starving Palestinians they are intended to help.

As reported in the article, Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general for UNRWA, has said airdrops "will not reverse the deepening starvation" and often do more harm than good.

Adding that: "They are expensive, inefficient & can even kill starving civilians" in a statement posted on social media. 

Reuters: IPC warns of looming famine amid severe food shortages in Gaza

29 July 2025

Reuters have reported the world's top authority on food crises, the IPC, warned that the Gaza Strip is already facing a worst-case famine scenario, predicting "widespread deaths" unless immediate action is taken.

Whilst famine has not been announced, the IPC said: "Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths," 

DEC charities are working to make the most of temporary pauses in the conflict to deliver more aid, and are working to use this moment to do whatever they can and reach as many people as possible with support.

Save The Children Humanitarian Director: ‘Children are literally starving’

28 July 2025

Rachel Cummings, Humanitarian Director for DEC charity Save The Children spoke to the BBC on Monday about the situation in Gaza. 

Speaking from an office in Deir al-Balah, she told the BBC how at a clinic yesterday, every child there was malnourished. Adding that every adult - including her own team - are "desperately thin".

Staff from DEC charities and their families are dealing with unimaginably harsh conditions and facing significant risks as they carry out their life-saving work, but are still working to make the most of temporary pauses in the conflict to deliver more aid. 

 

BBC: More than 100 humanitarian groups warn of mass starvation in Gaza

23 July 2025

More than 100 international aid organisations and human rights groups are warning of mass starvation in Gaza.

The statement includes: “Just outside Gaza, in warehouses – and even within Gaza itself – tons of food, clean water, medical supplies, shelter items and fuel sit untouched with humanitarian organisations blocked from accessing or delivering them,”

The group of charities includes DEC members Action Against Hunger, CAFOD, CARE International, Christian Aid, Save The Children, Islamic Relief, International Rescue Committee, Plan International, and World Vision.

All donations will go to the DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal. Income earned on funds held (such as bank interest) may be used to fund the whole of the DEC’s work.