Their Majesties The King and Queen support the DEC’s Middle East Humanitarian Appeal, as charities continue scaling up aid following Gaza ceasefire agreement

Media Contacts: 07930 999 014 or 07890 839 270 (out of hours)          
Donations can be made at dec.org.uk or by calling 0370 60 60 610

Images of the DEC response are available here.
An image of DEC CEO Saleh Saeed meeting the HM the King is available here.

Their Majesties The King and Queen are among those who have generously donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Middle East Humanitarian Appeal since the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.  

Donations are supporting the DEC’s charities and their partner organisations as they scale up their work delivering vital food, water, medicine and essential supplies, following an increase in access for humanitarian aid. 

Examples of how DEC charities and their local partners are supporting people in Gaza since the ceasefire agreement include:

• CAFOD is scaling up work through their local partner. DEC funds are helping them to deliver cash, psychosocial support and medical care. 
   
• The International Rescue Committee is scaling up its programmes providing vital cash support thanks to DEC funds.   
   
• Plan International’s trucks have started to enter Gaza with food and other essential supplies.  
   
• The British Red Cross and its partners are scaling up providing urgently needed medical care and other essential support. Hundreds of trucks of their supplies have entered Gaza since the ceasefire agreement. 

The DEC’s appeal launched in October 2024. So far, the majority of funds have been spent in Gaza, where famine was confirmed in August and hundreds of thousands of families are living in makeshift shelters without access to essential services and supplies.  

It is Their Majesties’ third donation to the Middle East Humanitarian Appeal, which is reaching people impacted by conflict in Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank and Syria with critical support.

Since the ceasefire agreement, DEC charities have started scaling up their programmes. Access for urgently needed humanitarian aid has started to increase, and DEC charities and their local partners are adapting their work to deliver more food, water and medical care. 

Saleh Saeed, Chief Executive of the Disasters Emergency Committee, said:  

“It has been heartening to see generous donations to the Middle East Humanitarian Appeal since the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, and we are grateful to Their Majesties The King and Queen for their ongoing support of the DEC and our appeals.  

“Donations are making a huge difference already as our DEC charities and their partners scale up their work in Gaza. However, more funds are urgently needed to help them meet the colossal scale of need and continue providing a lifeline to families facing an uncertain future. If you can, please donate now.” 

Ends 

Notes to editors    

Media enquiries: please call 07930 999 014 or 07890 839 270 (out of hours).     
Interview requests: For spokespeople, pictures and b-roll please contact: sgard@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.    

All 15 of the DEC’s members are responding in the Middle East and will receive funds from this appeal. Some 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, Plan International UK, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK.    

The majority of appeal funds spent so far are supporting programmes in Gaza, where more than 2 million people urgently need humanitarian support. Funds are also supporting people in Lebanon, where many are still displaced and facing significant challenges following the ceasefire agreement in November 2024.      

Some of the funds are supporting people in Syria, where families fled from Lebanon last year, and in the West Bank, where the escalation in violence has forced many to flee their homes, and had a devastating economic impact.        

For the Middle East Humanitarian Appeal, £10 million of donations from the UK public have now been matched by UK Aid Match.  

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 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.