WAR IN GAZA: How to support civilians amid the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Since Israel lifted its 11-week aid blockade on the Gaza Strip on May 19, allowing limited United Nations deliveries to resume, the UN says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed while trying to collect desperately-needed food and supplies.

The Israeli military has admitted that Palestinian civilians were harmed at aid distribution sites, and says it's issued new instructions to its forces after "lessons learned".

At the same time, both Israel and the United States have accused Hamas of stealing aid from UN-led operations — something the Palestinian militants strongly deny.

Right now, one in five people in Gaza are facing starvation, according to food security experts from the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification platform, which monitors hunger and famine levels.

The war erupted after Hamas-led militants in the Gaza Strip took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in an October 7, 2023 attack — Israel's single deadliest day.

Since then, Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in the Gaza Strip, and has decimated entire neighbourhoods.

The rubble after the Israeli army carried out a nighttime attack on a school east of the Gaza Strip. Image: Getty.

It's a level of devastation that's hard to wrap your head around. And in the face of such heartbreak, it's easy to feel helpless, like there's nothing we can do.

But while the crisis continues, aid workers, charities and volunteers are still showing up. They're on the ground, helping however they can.

If you're in a position to support them, here are some organisations doing vital work in Gaza right now.

UNICEF Australia.

UNICEF has been on the ground throughout the conflict, delivering emergency relief while continuing to fight for children's rights around the world.

According to UNICEF, right now in Gaza, more than 1.9 million people have been forced from their homes. Half of them are children.

UNICEF says your donation can go a long way:

• $90 could provide 18,000 water purification tablets, each able to create up to five litres of clean drinking water.

• $160 could help provide 304 sachets of lifesaving therapeutic food.

• $311 could help deliver a school-in-a-box with enough education supplies to keep 40 students learning.

So every dollar counts. You can donate here.

Plan International.

Plan International dedicated to making the world a better place for children and girls. They're currently working in conflict zones to support children through unimaginable trauma.

In Gaza, they're providing life-saving supplies, supporting mental health services, and helping to protect children from violence and exploitation.

You can donate here.

The World Central Kitchen.

Founded by Chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen (WCK) is committed to providing fresh meals in response to humanitarian crises.

WCF is first to the frontlines, providing fresh meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises.

In Gaza, WCK says it's delivered over 130 million meals by land, sea, and air. They have established large-capacity field kitchens and a network of community kitchens to serve thousands daily.

Sadly, in April, seven team members, including Australian humanitarian Zomi Frankcom, were killed in an Israeli military airstrike.

Despite these challenges, Andrés WCK continues its mission, employing hundreds of Palestinians and working tirelessly to feed those in need.

"We remain focused on our mission as a nonprofit, humanitarian organisation that works shoulder to shoulder with the communities we serve to achieve the greatest impact. In Gaza, we are employing hundreds of Palestinians and have thousands more volunteering to make this work possible," he said.

You can donate here.

Doctors Without Borders.

Medical experts working with Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) say they have witnessed a pattern of attacks on healthcare and civilians first-hand.

In Gaza, their teams are treating everything from shrapnel wounds to malnutrition and infectious diseases. They also offer maternity and paediatric care, physiotherapy, mental health services, and primary healthcare — despite hospital evacuations, ongoing sieges, and extreme shortages of medicine.

Since the conflict began, nearly 1,000 health workers and over 300 aid workers have been killed — including six Doctors Without Borders staff, according to the World Health Organisation.

You can donate here.

-with AAP

Feature Image: Getty.