forwarded from UNRWA

Dear Friend,

Winter storm Alexa, the fiercest storm to hit Gaza and the West Bank in over 100 years, is currently wreaking havoc and bringing misery to thousands of vulnerable Palestine refugees, and now they urgently need your help.

winter-storm-bannerSince Friday, 40,000 people in Gaza have been driven from their homes due to extreme storm flooding. The flooding has been exacerbated by the fuel crisis that has left people without power for up to 21 hours a day, and forced raw sewage to flow through the streets. People’s lives and health are at grave risk.

In the West Bank, people face freezing conditions and severe electricity cuts. For Bedouin communities whose homes were demolished one day before the storm hit, they face potential death.

Despite the dangerous situation, thousands of UNRWA staff in Gaza are working around the clock to evacuate thousands of families by boat to safe shelter in UNRWA facilities. We have also distributed thousands of blankets, gas stoves, mattresses, cleaning and hygiene kits, and emergency food parcels to vulnerable refugees in the West Bank and Gaza, and will continue to do so until there is an end to this misery.

We take this opportunity to once again call for the end of the blockade on Gaza. Any community would struggle to recover from a disaster like this, but for a community that has been subjected to the collective punishment of restricted movement of people and goods, prospects for recovery are very grim.

Until there is an end to this cruel blockade, we remain completely dedicated to providing emergency assistance and protection to the millions of vulnerable refugees in need. But we can’t do this without you.

This holiday season, I urge you to please think of those who are at risk of losing everything, and make a tax-deductible donation to UNRWA’s life-saving work. Your contribution will save lives.

With thoughts of warmth and safety for all,

Abby Smardon

Executive Director

UNRWA USA