Palestine (West Bank/Gaza)
Since 1986, Mercy Corps has helped Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza access critical services and become more economically self-sufficient.
The context
The escalation of conflict that began on October 7, 2023, has sharply exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the region. “With northern Gaza separated and largely destroyed and southern Gaza now under intensifying military operations and constant airstrikes, there is no safe place in Gaza left to go,” said Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, Chief Executive Officer of Mercy Corps on December 7, 2023. “It is abundantly clear that not enough is being done to protect civilians, who are killed daily by the hundreds, cannot find safe refuge anywhere, and are struggling to survive in unlivable and inhumane conditions.”
Inside Gaza, constant bombardments, displacement of our own team members, lack of access points for aid, and shattered infrastructure have prevented humanitarian organisations from meaningfully providing aid since the end of the November 2023 “humanitarian pause.” Mercy Corps is advocating strongly for a ceasefire, end to siege tactics, and humanitarian access at the scale required to meet the needs of millions of people. We’re also working hard to establish supply lines for essential, lifesaving items such as clean water, food, hygiene supplies, and shelter materials.
In the West Bank, our ongoing youth engagement programme is running online workshops to provide psychosocial and emotional support training for youth mentors, parents, and staff working at youth safe spaces so that they can help young people cope with the psychological impact of the conflict.
Our impact
Palestine’s long-standing humanitarian crisis remains among the world’s most challenging places to deliver humanitarian assistance. Today, more than 2 million Palestinians are in need of humanitarian aid. High levels of food insecurity, poverty, and chronic unemployment are some of the challenges that Palestinians face.
For more than three decades, Mercy Corps has worked in the West Bank and Gaza, meeting critical humanitarian needs. Our programs support Palestinian communities by:
- Helping communities cope with crisis
- Increasing economic opportunities
Helping communities cope with crisis
Mercy Corps is committed to finding solutions that give people more options and resources to meet their immediate needs, become more self-reliant, and be more resilient to future challenges. In Gaza, Mercy Corps recently built a desalination plant to provide access to clean water for 20,000 residents.
Increasing economic opportunities
Launched in collaboration with Google for Startups in 2011, Gaza Sky Geeks prepares young Palestinians to work in the global tech sector by training coders, linking freelancers to international markets, and creating a pipeline of early stage startup companies that can compete regionally.
Mercy Corps also helps to build the resilience of businesses in the West Bank. Through collaboration with local business associations, Mercy Corps provides training for small businesses to find new markets for their products to grow—with a focus on agribusiness and technology sectors.
