Genocide in Gaza: LIFE makes an emergency appeal on Radio Orient

The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached an unprecedented critical level. Speaking on 27 June on the programme Grand Angle on Radio Orient, Imad Bentayeb, field coordinator at LIFE, explained that basic needs have reached breaking point, with nearly 2 million people suffering from malnutrition and hundreds of thousands of children severely affected.

“The situation is getting worse by the day. We are facing an unprecedented humanitarian and food crisis. Families who had the means yesterday can no longer find anything to eat today,” warns Imad Bentayeb.

Humanitarian aid under extreme pressure

Working in Gaza for more than ten years, LIFE operates in partnership with the local association Al Amal. The NGO has had to adapt its methods, as blockades and security risks make it impossible to bring in humanitarian convoys from abroad. LIFE now buys supplies directly from local suppliers in Gaza, which allows it to distribute hot meals to 500 families every day in two camps in the north of the Gaza Strip. “Without these distributions, thousands of people would have no way to feed themselves. Our teams are taking enormous risks, but they refuse to stop, because this aid is vital,” says Imad.

Emergency and development programmes

LIFE's work goes beyond food aid. The NGO opened an emergency medical centre, currently closed for security reasons but due to reopen very soon, and plans to open a bakery to provide free bread. A sponsorship programme for 500 orphans is also set to begin next September. For access to water, LIFE sends water tankers to neighbourhoods and displacement camps, as building lasting infrastructure is too costly and too exposed to bombing. Psychological support units have also been set up, in partnership with Al Amal, for children, who are the first victims of the war.

A call for international solidarity

In the face of this humanitarian catastrophe, LIFE is sounding the alarm and calling on everyone to rally behind its emergency and development programmes. The NGO stresses how vital donations and media coverage are to keep saving lives and supporting highly vulnerable people in Gaza and the Palestinian territories.

🎧 Listen to Imad Bentayeb on Radio Orient here 👈