Surviving the Attacks on Gaza

On Monday night, we began hearing explosions in Gaza. This was the start of the missile attacks that have lasted through the week. Just the day before – luckily! – we finished distributing six pallets of medicines to 14 hospitals. Now the crossing for such shipments is closed and we are facing more bombardments of unknown duration.

This assault is the scariest and most destructive I’ve ever lived through – worse even than the bombardments of 2008-2009 and 2014. The aerial attacks have leveled multiple high rises in the heart of Gaza City, displacing families from their homes and killing over 100 Gaza residents, including many children. As of this writing our staff are unharmed, thankfully, but none of us is safe. No place is safe, even our own homes.

The worst part is being a parent during this and seeing your children terrified and knowing that you cannot ensure their safety. They try to be brave but this is traumatizing for anyone, let alone a child.

This escalation comes at a time when our hospitals are suffering from COVID-19. Hospital ICU rooms are almost full with COVID patients already and stocks of medicines and supplies are severely depleted. According to Ministry of Health officials, if the intensity of the bombing attacks continues for even a couple more days, it could overwhelm the health system in Gaza.

With your help, Anera is responding right now to the emergency needs that our partners are reporting to our Gaza team every day. As more needs arise, we will be ready with the resources to do more. In the short term, this means medicines and health care supplies, but in the longer term it will mean repairing infrastructure and rebuilding communities.

I know you care deeply about Gaza and that means everything to us here. Please keep us in your hearts and prayers and share Anera’s website and social media content from Palestine, so the world knows what is happening here.