Global Emergency Update:

Emergency Response in The Holy Land

Overview

Since the crisis in the Holy Land escalated in October 2023, families and communities have been devastated, and tens of thousands of lives have been lost. On October 7, 2023, an attack by Hamas in Israel resulted in the death of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, and the taking 251 hostages, 97 of whom are still unaccounted for in Gaza. Israel’s immediate bombardment of Gaza has continued by air, land and sea, killing more than 41,600 people, mostly civilians. Nearly 2 million people in Gaza—90% of the population—have been uprooted from their homes and towns, often many times. Today, most Gazans have no safe access to food or clean water, and no haven from the almost-daily airstrikes. On October 6, 2024, Israel issued new evacuation orders for the north—further exacerbating the crisis there and stifling humanitarian assistance. With winter approaching, concern is growing about how families will stay warm and dry.

Despite extreme operational challenges, Catholic Relief Services and our partners have provided food, shelter, hygiene supplies and cash assistance, reaching more than 1 million people in Gaza. As Gazan families have had to move repeatedly, CRS has pivoted quickly, relocating warehouses, setting up new offices and carrying out distributions. A year later, CRS maintains several relief distribution points and warehouses in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis in the south, and North Gaza and Gaza City in the north.

Meanwhile, humanitarian needs have escalated across the region amid intensified conflict. In the West Bank, homes and infrastructure have been severely damaged in raids and airstrikes, forcing families to relocate for safety.

And, in Lebanon, armed confrontations at the southern Lebanese border for nearly a year escalated in early September, when air strikes intensified and expanded across south Lebanon, the Bekaa valley, and the southern suburbs of the capital, Beirut.

Context

Gaza and the West Bank

Most Gazans face crisis levels of hunger or worse, and a lack of clean water, sanitation and hygiene supplies threatens to further harm people’s health, particularly children’s. According to the United Nations, evacuation orders by the Israeli military currently cover about 86% of Gaza.

Gaza is divided into north and south along the Wadi Gaza river valley and movement between the two is prohibited. An invasion of Rafah, in the south, began in early May 2024. As of October 1, 2024, at least 41,689 Palestinians had been killed and 96,625 injured in Gaza since October 2023.

1.9 million people in Gaza are internally displaced.

The mass displacement of people has been largely driven by the evacuation orders, extensive destruction of private and public infrastructure, restricted access to essential services, and the fear of ongoing hostilities. Many have already been forced to move many times in search of safety, with further displacements likely.

In the West Bank, ongoing operations have caused major damage to infrastructure, displaced families, and limited access into and out of these areas as people seek safety. Conflict significantly escalated in early September 2024, and since October 2023 Israeli authorities have demolished, confiscated or forced the demolition of 1,478 Palestinian-owned buildings across the West Bank. In the West Bank, 4,555 people, including 1,910 children, have been displaced, and 695 Palestinians have been killed.

Lebanon

Areas within 7 miles of the border have come under daily shelling and airstrikes for the past year, and targeted Israeli airstrikes extending far into the country have become more frequent. By early October 2024, hostilities had already displaced 142,000 people, most of whom were living in overcrowded conditions, with a small but highly vulnerable number seeking refuge in collective shelters. About 80% of displaced people are being hosted by local families.

80% of displaced people in Lebanon are being hosted by local families.

By mid-September, the hostilities escalated into a full-scale conflict. On October 1, the Israel military initiated a ground operation in southern Lebanon, issuing immediate evacuation orders to all residents of 29 villages. These escalations have resulted in 2,141 deaths, 10,099 injured, and the displacement of 1.2 million people. At least 180,700 displaced people are taking refuge in 1,000 collective shelters across Lebanon, of which 807 have reached capacity.

The intensity of attacks in southern Lebanon has made it increasingly difficult for humanitarian actors to operate. The conflict is escalating fast, with both parties scaling up attacks to levels not seen since the 2006 Lebanon War.

CRS Staff and Operations

CRS has established operations to meet urgent needs and allow for flexibility as the context changes.

• In Gaza, serving both the north and south, CRS has 64 staff members, three offices, five warehouses, 21 distribution points and a network of 13 local community-based organizations.
• In the West Bank, CRS has 19 staff members, two offices and a network of 21 local community-based organizations.
• For emergency in-kind support, CRS has pipelines for procurement and entry into Gaza via Egypt, staffed by our Egypt team, and into the West Bank via Jordan, supported by Caritas Jordan.

In the past year, we have adjusted our operations in Gaza due to operational challenges, evacuation orders, border closures, and the deep impact on staff members and their families. Ongoing evacuation orders have resulted in the closure of 1 of 6 warehouses, 15 of 21 distribution points, and 1 of 4 offices. CRS delivers lifesaving assistance where there is need and where it is safe, but space for Gazans and operations has continued to shrink.

All CRS staff members in Jerusalem, the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon are physically unharmed. However, most CRS staff members in Gaza and their families have lost close family members, experienced multiple displacements and are living with host families, or in emergency shelters, tents or Church compounds. Besides our country program team, CRS is rotating staff to support our operations and programming teams. We are scaling up our response and consequently our staffing levels. CRS will bolster support staff as security conditions allow. CRS continues to support staff members to meet their urgent needs.

CRS and Partner Response

Despite the extreme challenges and danger, CRS staff continues to courageously serve hundreds of thousands of civilians amid uncertainty and insecurity. To date, we have supported 1.3 million people across the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon with nearly 200,000 individual services provided between October 2023 and September 2024.

1.3 million people across Jerusalem, the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon have been reached by CRS support.

Gaza and the West Bank

Operations

In Gaza, although damaged roads and mass evacuations severely hamper humanitarian aid operations, CRS maintains relief distribution points and warehouses in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis in the south, and North Gaza and Gaza City in the north and we continue to deploy relief assistance as security and logistics permit. Over the last year, CRS and our partners have provided food, shelter and hygiene supplies, and cash assistance, to more than 1 million people in Gaza.

Cash and Food Assistance

Days after the start of the conflict in October 2023, CRS and our partners launched multipurpose cash support across Gaza to cover families’ basic needs, giving them the dignity of choice and supporting local markets. For displaced people who lack access to functioning markets or cooking facilities, food rations are crucial.

• More than 28,337 families—170,022 people—received multipurpose cash assistance to help meet their basic needs, including rent, fuel, gas, food, clothing, medicine and other essentials.
• More than 156,220 families—937,000 people—received food assistance through ready-to-eat food parcels.

Safe and Dignified Housing

In Gaza, CRS supported displaced families to meet their emergency shelter needs and is working to support the design and development of transitional shelters. In the West Bank, CRS is leading the design of a cash-for-shelter response so that families whose homes have minor damage can make immediate repairs for safety and protection.

• In Gaza, 116,268 people received emergency shelter with tents, tarps, repair kits and plastic sheeting.
• In Gaza, 156,234 people received bedding, clothing, kitchen items, blankets and other essential supplies.
• In the West Bank, 2,370 people received cash assistance to meet their basic shelter needs, and 170 people received cash-for-shelter support.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

Clean water is scarce throughout Gaza. CRS and our partners have provided critical emergency hygiene items and have brought water and sanitation services to areas where hundreds of displaced families have made makeshift camps. These activities in Gaza include the following:

• 123,036 people have received emergency hygiene kits, including soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, diapers and women’s hygiene products.
• 40 latrines have been built to serve 123 families.
• In three self-settled camps of 649 families, clean water has been trucked in.

Protection and Emotional Support

Amid ongoing exposure to violence and devastation, CRS is continuing to provide emergency emotional and social support to our staff and partners. CRS and our partners led activities to help people heal from and manage a range of emotional hardships, including grief, distress, fear, anxiety and trauma. We have created an extensive referral network with other agencies to provide both indirect referrals and direct assistance to the most vulnerable families.

• 7,000 children participated in recreational activities in 17 shelters.
• 160 caregivers participated in emotional and social support sessions in two shelters.
• 120 CRS and partner staff members received psychological first aid, tips on de-escalation techniques, and self-care resources to support their well-being, and strengthen their ability to assist those in need.

Local Partnerships

In Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, CRS works alongside local partners to support the design, funding and implementation of key initiatives.

• 13 emergency response partners in Gaza led the verification of households in need.
• CRS partnered with Caritas Jordan for the procurement and logistics of lifesaving aid from Jordan to Gaza.
• CRS worked with Caritas Jerusalem in the West Bank to identify key humanitarian needs and deliver assistance across the area.
• $11 million in funding was activated across 16 projects.

Lebanon

In the past year, CRS has supported Caritas Lebanon’s emergency response unit with safety equipment, fuel and medical supplies. Aided by CRS and others, Caritas Lebanon is providing health care, food aid and cash assistance. Programming continues to expand as needs intensify.  

Emergency Relief

CRS is working with our partners to meet people’s urgent basic needs, including for food, water and shelter. CRS is providing cash assistance for families to buy necessary items in the markets, as well as supporting the provision of essential relief supplies in collective shelters, and bedding and hygiene items for displaced families within and outside shelters.

Shelter

In the coming months, CRS, Habitat for Humanity and local partners will aim to upgrade collective shelters and repair homes hosting displaced families. In partnership with Caritas Lebanon, CRS will provide cash-for-shelter assistance to host families to cover the costs of utilities, minor repairs and other shelter-related expenses. Working with Caritas Lebanon and our local partners, CRS has also supported:

• Distribution of clothes, hygiene kits, bedding and hot meals to families in collective shelters.
• Health care services for displaced families, including first aid and the operation of ambulances for the injured.

CRS is working with our partners to respond to the shifting and growing needs, focusing on shelter and water and sanitation upgrades.  

Emotional and Social Support

CRS is supporting Caritas Lebanon in emergency emotional and social support to improve people’s well-being. CRS partners have provided remote and in-person support sessions for displaced children and caregivers in the south, including those living close to the border. These sessions provide children with new ways to cope with shocks. Caregivers were also guided on how to support children. CRS will support Caritas and other partners to provide similar support to newly displaced families in collective shelters in Beirut and Mount Lebanon.

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