United Palestinian Appeal

Education for Palestine

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:19:35 EST

Summary of Situation Reports

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:06:20 EST

Hundreds of thousands of tons of aid intended for the Gaza Strip is piling up in cities across Egypt's North Sinai region, despite recent calls from the United Nations to ease aid flow restrictions to the embattled territory in the wake of Operation Cast Lead. Literally, food is rotting at the border.

Over 150,000 Gazans still without tap water

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 12:55:33 EST

Over 150,000 Palestinians in Gaza (around 10 percent of the population) are struggling without tap water as a result of the damage caused to wells, pipes and waste water facilities during the recent 23-day Israeli offensive which ended on 18 January. "Our requests via the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to the Israeli military during the conflict to allow shipments of construction materials and spare parts to repair wells and facilities damaged during the war were denied," Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) director-general Monther Shoblak told IRIN.

Video: Medea Benjamin talks about UPA's "Lifeline Palestine" project

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:43:03 EST

CODEPINK's Medea Benjamin talked about the dire need for humanitarian action for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and emphasized the need for building an online humanitarian community through the portal LifelinePalestine.org, a project of the United Palestinian Appeal (UPA). Israel's 22-day offensive and subsequent border blockade. According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, 1,434 Palestinians were killed during the Israeli offensive, 960 of them civilians, among them 288 children.

Field update on Gaza, 24 - 30 Mar 2009

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:20:32 EST

In addition to limitations on humanitarian deliveries, restrictions on imports and exports in general continue to seriously affect the living conditions of the population. The vast majority of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip rely on local farming to produce affordable fresh foods, including fruit, vegetables, meat and fish. Movement restrictions continue to prevent herders and farmers from accessing areas near the borders. Fishermen stand to lose substantial income as a result of new restrictions that limit fishing to three miles from Gaza's shores.

UPA Ships Medical Supplies to Gaza

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:21:00 EST

Fifteen of Gaza's 27 hospitals were damaged in the bombing and face serious shortages of basic supplies. Your donations have made it possible for UPA, along with our partner International Relief and Development, to ship a million dollars worth of surgical and trauma care supplies to Gaza.

Doctors struggling to treat Gaza war wounded

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:43:41 EST

Some 2,315 (43 percent) of the injured in Gaza were wounded by shrapnel, and spinal cord injuries are common, according to the health ministry. Hospital staff told IRIN they were struggling to provide medical care with intermittent electricity supplies and shortages of items like wheelchairs and medication as well as the more sophisticated equipment needed for patients with paralysis. Thousands of war wounded in Gaza, including 785 women and 1,815 children, will require long-term care, according to health ministry official Samir Radi.

Water, Life and Hope

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:22:00 EST

As Gaza struggles to cope with the destruction, more than 1,000 families in hard-hit Jabaliya receive a week's supply of fresh water courtesy of a UPA grant and a volunteer distribution effort led by the Palestinian Center for Youth Work.

UPA Briefs Congressional Staff on Gaza Humanitarian Crisis

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:54:00 EST

Amidst emergency efforts to restore livelihoods in Gaza, UPA Director Samer Badawi slipped away to Capitol Hill today for a two-hour Congressional Briefing titled, "On the Ground in Gaza," hosted by Representative Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH). The briefing featured Badawi and Andrew Whitley, Director of the Representative Office of UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) in New York, and filled the Rayburn Building's briefing room with over 100 attendants that included Representative Brian Baird (D-WA), legislative aids, policy experts and the leaders of multiple non-profits and community-based groups.

Success Stories: "Change for Gaza"

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:16:00 EST

As friends and relatives poured into Washington, DC for inauguration weekend, three friends saw an opportunity to mobilize their communities to increase awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and raise funds for UPA through a house party themed, Change for Gaza.

Success Stories: "Free Gaza Now"

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:01:00 EST

Over 175 people packed Washington, DC's Bossa Lounge to hear cutting edge artists Abeer Alzinaty and Huda Asfour perform at the Free Gaza Now fundraiser. The event was sponsored by Left Turn Magazine and Hope from People and raised $3,000 in relief aid procured through UPA.

Success Stories: "Poets for Gaza"

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:56:00 EST

New York City's Judson Memorial Church reverberated with the spoken word jams of Poets for Palestine artists Amiri Baraka, Amina Baraka, Marty McConnell, Remi Kanazi, Tahani Salah and Vaimoana Niumeitolu. Co-hosted by the Network of Arab American Professionals' New York chapter (NAAP-NY) and Urban Word NYC, this hard hitting event raised over $8,000 for UPA's Emergency Gaza Appeal.

Major Food Relief Effort to Reach Thousands in Gaza

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:35:00 EST

Fueled by an unprecedented outflow of public support, UPA and its partner Relief International (RI) have embarked on an initiative to provide direct relief to thousands of Palestinian refugees displaced by the fighting and facing hunger and malnutrition.

Emergency Food Assistance to 200 Gaza City Families

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST

The three-hour "lull" in fighting is anything but, and many besieged residents of Gaza City are choosing to risk hunger rather than venture outside for food, water, and other essentials. UPA is helping by bringing rations to them and their families.

450 Jabaliya Families to Get Emergency Food Assistance

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:08:00 EST

Thousands of families in Gaza's largest refugee camp, Jabaliya, have been unable to leave their homes for days. As Israeli forces continue to hinder passage of food, water, and medical assistance, UPA-supported volunteers are going door-to-door to make sure families can eat.

Video: UPA Relief Efforts Featured on CNN

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:06:00 EST

UPA's Samer Badawi appeared live on CNN to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. UPA is trying "to overcome the trauma of the occupation and the repeated military strikes on the innocent civilians of Gaza," said Badawi. According to the United Nations, "[t]here is no safe space in the Gaza Strip -- no safe haven, no bomb shelters -- and the borders are closed, and civilians have no place to flee." Making matters worse, few relief workers can get to the hundreds of thousands of civilians who remain helpless in their homes.

UPDATE: More First Aid Kits, Shelter for Gaza Families

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:44:00 EST

UPA confirmed today that an additional 95 first aid kits were distributed to volunteer medics in eastern Gaza City, where Israel's ground assault has severely hindered access to medical care for the sick and wounded. More than 800 square meters of plastic sheeting to cover bombed-out windows and protect families from the cold were also distributed today. The effort will help more than 200 families.

UPA Partner Distributes Bread to More than 700 Needy Families Near Rafah

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:27:00 EST

As southern Gaza residents hear horror stories of Israel's ground invasion from Jabaliya and other towns and villages mere miles away, they too have nowhere to flee and nowhere to hide. UPA's partner Al Huda Development Association is trying to help them cope.

Video: "We Must Find a Way"

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 13:00:00 EST

"At UPA, our mantra has been that we must find a way to do something despite all the obstacles," UPA Director of Programs Melinda Borne told a global news audience this afternoon. She added that UPA has seen "an outpouring of support" from people around the world who are concerned about the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Since the aerial assault on Gaza's 1.5 million Palestinians began on December 27, UPA has received hundreds of donations and messages of support from people as far away as China. Numerous Americans, including physicians, have also volunteered to help in the aid effort.

The Ground Assault: Fearing the Worst, and Preparing for It

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 01:05:00 EST

As much as the people of Gaza have suffered already, the worst may be yet to come. Less than three hours ago, the ground invasion began, with Israeli troops entering from the north into Beit Hanoun, from the east at Karni crossing, and from just east of Jabaliya refugee camp. This ground invasion comes even as airstrikes have continued, with 4-5 strikes within an hour. UPA staff also heard an airstrike taking place while on the phone with one of our partners in Gaza City.