As the conflict in Gaza continues, its cost on human lives and important infrastructure grows higher and higher. Lack of clean water, food insecurity affecting 2.2 million people, and the collapse of the health-care system have left the population in desperate need of immediate international intervention and protection.

The Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees (DSPR), part of the Middle East Council of Churches, has served 20,994 people since the beginning of the war with life-saving support. With all the devastation around them, people with injuries or psychological trauma have found solace in a variety of services—from basic wound treatment and psychosocial support, to treatment of chronic and acute illnesses, dental care, support for babies, and family planning services.

In the ongoing war, many hospitals—whose services are more essential than ever—have been turned to rubble. At one time DSPR’s Rafah clinic was the only one that remained standing, but with the invasion of Rafah in May 2024 this response necessarily shifted to a mobile clinic format. Prioritizing adaptability, through this approach the program perseveres to bring healthcare to where there is great need, including informal shelters that are not reached by other organizations. 

Ensuring access to health care is essential. For this reason, DSPR supports ongoing services including: 

• 96 medical days run through mobile clinics to provide lifesaving services to vulnerable displaced populations. So far, these medical days have served 6,882 patients.
• Establishing a new fixed clinic, equipped with a laboratory, pharmacy, nursing and physician rooms, as well as space for counselling and psychosocial services. The clinic sees about 7,500 visits per month. 
• Psychosocial services (including group, individual and family counseling), which have been provided to 1,196 participants.

As people of faith, we continue in prayer for the situation in Gaza, asking God to meet the needs of people affected by the conflict and to bring an end to the war.  “In these trying times,” share Nader Abu Amsha, Executive Secretary of DSPR Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and Dr. Audeh Quawas, the Chairperson of the Central Committee for DSPR MECC, “we humbly request your support, prayers, and solidarity. The people of Gaza are enduring unimaginable hardships, and your assistance can make a profound difference in their lives.”