Caritas Australia has received deeply distressing updates from partners working in Gaza, where the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate rapidly. 

Sally Thomas, Humanitarian Manager at Caritas Jerusalem, said: “The situation in Gaza has been described by our partners working in the region as a ‘living horror movie.’ Displacement orders see our colleagues, their families, and those they are working to protect, faced with the harrowing choice to leave their places of shelter or flee into the unknown. To flee would mean hours on foot through ruins, with the chances of being killed on that journey very high. To stay means hearing their neighbours come under fire and awaiting their turn.” 

Since October 2023, Caritas partners have been working tirelessly to support those in need across Gaza.  

Caritas Jerusalem has supported 20,000 families representing 125,000 people, providing them with urgent needs such as food and water, as well as long-term recovery, through health, psychosocial support, and prosthetic care. 

CRS has provided food assistance to over 1.18 million people​, installed 1,470 latrines, delivered mobile water trucking to over 170,000 individuals​, and provided over 87,000 tents. 

Hundreds of Caritas colleagues working in Gaza are also displaced people who are living in dire humanitarian circumstances as they work to protect the most vulnerable members of their communities. 

“We are heartbroken by the conditions they endure, and by the physical and psychological toll being wrought upon innocent people. Caritas continues to call for a lasting ceasefire, as it is the only way to stem the tide of this unimaginable suffering” concluded Sally Thomas. 

To support Caritas Australia’s Gaza Appeal, click the button below or call 1800 024 413 toll free.