Middle East
Humanitarian
Appeal
Middle East
Humanitarian Appeal
Conflict in the Middle East has devastated lives. The ceasefire agreement in Gaza brings hope and relief. DEC charities are now preparing to scale up their work but urgently need more funds. Your support can save lives. Donate now.
Aaliyah* holds her daughter on the remains of a damaged building in Gaza in October 2024. The mother of six built a temporary shelter opposite her demolished house and depends entirely on aid to feed her family. Photo: DEC/Arete/Abdallah Alsayed
Inside the operating theatre with surgeon Dr Ando, nurse Haitam, and anesthetist Dr Hamish where a nerve repair is being done at the DEC-funded Red Cross Rafah Field Hospital in Gaza on 21 June, 2025. Image: Sarah Davies/ICRC/British Red Cross
The levels of need are catastrophic
2.1 million
people facing extreme food shortages with famine confirmed across Gaza City
1.9 million
people displaced in Gaza, and tens of thousands more in Lebanon
Your donations are supporting people in Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank and Syria.
After months of extraordinary challenges delivering aid in Gaza, DEC charities and their local partners are now preparing to scale up their work and deliver desperately-needed aid.
Famine was confirmed in Gaza in August, and every day has been a struggle to find food, clean water and basic supplies. People have been dying from starvation and malnutrition. 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 have been working tirelessly throughout the conflict in unimaginably difficult conditions. Each day has brought new and unexpected challenges, but they have constantly adapted 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
Donate today to help people in Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank and Syria.
Gaza response: October '24 to April '25
Much of this work was made possible by the increase in aid delivered during the ceasefire agreement at the start of this year, but the situation deteriorated rapidly.
The full-scale blockade on supplies entering Gaza during this period has had a devastating impact on the work of DEC charities and their local partners, leaving them unable to deliver lifesaving food, water and medicine.
440,000
420,000
109,000
22,000
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
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. The ceasefire agreement in Gaza means they are preparing to scale up their work again and reach more people with support. 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
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. The ceasefire agreement in Gaza means they are now preparing to scale up their work and reach more people with support.
The needs are huge, and DEC charities and their local partners are working tirelessly to deliver lifesaving food, water, medicine and essential supplies.
Maryam sits with her seven year old daughter Zahraa after taking part in psychological support activities, May 2025. Image: Carmen Yahchouchi / DEC / Fairpicture
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.
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.
Appeal News
The latest news from the situation in the Middle East.
Jump to
DEC appeals to UK public for donations following Gaza ceasefire agreement
10 October 2025
The ceasefire agreement in Gaza presents a critical opportunity for DEC charities and their local partners to scale up their work again, after months of extraordinary challenges delivering aid.
Saleh Saeed, Chief Executive of the DEC, said:
“The ceasefire agreement in Gaza marks a fragile but vital moment of hope.
As DEC charities and their local partner organisations prepare to scale their work back up, donations are urgently needed to support the monumental task ahead. Sustained access for humanitarian aid is critical to end the famine and save lives."
DEC charities prepare to scale up aid response following ceasefire agreement
10 October 2025
DEC charities and their local partners are preparing to scale up their response in Gaza following the ceasefire agreement, as access for desperately needed humanitarian aid is expected to increase.
Trucks of supplies are standing ready at the borders and DEC charities and their local partners are preparing now to adapt and expand their programmes to reach more people with lifesaving food, water, medicine and essential supplies.
More funds are urgently needed to help meet the catastophic levels of need, with more than two million people, all of Gaza’s population, facing extreme food insecurity.
Saleh Saeed, Chief Executive of the DEC said, "The ceasefire agreement in Gaza marks a fragile but vital moment of hope. Sustained access for humanitarian aid is critical to end the famine and save lives. Please donate now."
DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal raises over £50 million
9 September 2025
The Middle East Humanitarian Appeal has now raised over £50 million thanks to the amazing generosity of the UK public.
The majority of appeal funds spent so far have supported programmes in Gaza, where the catastrophic humanitarian crisis continues to deteriorate.
Donations to the Middle East Humanitarian Appeal are helping to provide emergency medical care for the many sick and injured, clean water, cash assistance and more.
Despite severe challenges delivering aid, DEC charities and their dedicated local partners are doing everything they can to continue providing some support in these unimaginable conditions.
DEC publishes Middle East Humanitarian Appeal report
8 September 2025
The report covers the first six months of the response and explains how DEC member charities and their local partners have responded to the Middle East crisis using funds raised by the Middle East Humanitarian Appeal.
The report provides an overview and examples of what DEC funds have achieved working across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria during six months of the response.
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.
