Canadian charities unite to respond to Gaza humanitarian emergency 

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Ottawa, 23 October 2023 – In response to the significant humanitarian emergency unfolding in Gaza, twelve leading Canadian aid agencies – working together as the Humanitarian Coalition – have launched the Gaza Humanitarian Emergency Appeal to raise funds to rush assistance to people in need. 

The Coalition is united in its call for all sides in the conflict to protect civilian lives and allow humanitarian aid to reach those in need as quickly as possible.  

Facts  

• Latest estimates in Gaza indicate that 4,300 people have been killed and over 15,000 are injured. More than one million people have been forced to leave their homes to escape the fighting. Humanitarian needs are also growing in the West Bank.  

• Thousands of people living in Gaza, many of them children, face extreme hardships caused by lack of access to food, water and basic sanitation facilities, and the destruction of infrastructure.  

• Hospitals in Gaza have been badly damaged, leaving many with no electrical service and facing shortages of critical medical supplies. The loss of medical facilities and infrastructure is putting vulnerable populations such as pregnant women and infants at higher risk.  

• The member agencies of the Humanitarian Coalition are active in the region and have connections with local charities and other partners to ensure that funds raised from Canada are spent solely for humanitarian purposes  

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Richard Morgan, Executive Director of the Humanitarian Coalition, says: “We are calling on Canadians to demonstrate compassion and generosity to those caught up in the fighting who, through no fault of their own, are bearing the brunt of the hardships. Children, women, elderly and disadvantaged people, especially in Gaza, are facing severe hardships with nowhere safe to go to escape the conflict. The time for action is now.”  

The following are members of the Humanitarian Coalition: Action Against Hunger, Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Canadian Lutheran World Relief, CARE Canada, Doctors of the World, Humanity & Inclusion Canada, Islamic Relief Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Québec, Plan International Canada, Save the Children Canada and World Vision Canada.  

Canadians can help provide emergency assistance to people affected by the crisis in Gaza by donating at www.together.ca or by calling 1-855-461-2154.    

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The Humanitarian Coalition brings together 12 leading aid organizations to provide Canadians with a simple and effective way to help during major international humanitarian emergencies.   

For more information or to request an interview:  

Robert Neufeld  

bob.neufeld@humanitariancoalition.ca  

905-441-2640