Feast in the MIddle East

Dear Friends,

Thank you to the many that expressed concern to me about the dire situation in Gaza, and what you can do to help. I will dedicate this blog to just that in the hopes that it will help you. The instagram feeds now are saturated with skeletal children and babies dying every single day, and the sad part is this is a manmade and preventable catastrophe.

Experts classify Gaza’s humanitarian emergency as IPC Phase 5, This is the highest level on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification scale—meaning catastrophic hunger. The death toll is well over 400,000 according to a latest Harvard study, and now hundreds of thousands more will die in the coming weeks from starvation if the world doesn’t step in.

As we speak,

• Approximately 470,000 people face severe hunger (IPC Phase 5), and nearly the entire population (2.1 million) is in acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or worse) The Guardian+13World Food Programme+13FAOHome+13World Food Programme.
• Nearly 100,000 women and children urgently need treatment for malnutrition, and hundreds have already died from hunger and related illness AP News.
• In July, at least 48 deaths, including 20 children, were attributed directly to acute malnutrition; medical facilities are overwhelmed and lacking basic nutrients and treatments AP News.
• Aid workers themselves are fainting from hunger, and more than 1,000 people have been killed by the IDF while trying to access aid, often in dangerously militarized distribution zones run by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) AP News+15The Guardian+15The Guardian+15.

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✅ How You Can Help from Anywhere

1. Call or Write Your Government Representatives

Advocate for urgent international intervention, and you can find your representatives by calling this number:  (202) 224-3121

• Demand immediate and unrestricted humanitarian access into Gaza.
• Support U.N.‑led agencies like the World Food Programme, UNICEF and UNRWA to resume full-scale aid operations.
• Urge pressure for sustained ceasefire and protection of civilians and aid workers.
• Promote legislation that conditions financial or military aid on compliance with international humanitarian law.

2. Support Trusted Organizations

Here are some leading organizations delivering food and medical care inside Gaza:

• World Food Programme (WFP) and FAO: WFP is urgently addressing severe hunger, while FAO is working to preserve livestock and agricultural production despite Gaza’s collapsing farming systems Action Against Hunger.
• Action Against Hunger: Operating in Gaza since 2005, distributing food, water, hygiene kits, and supporting sanitation. They warn that 50% of Gazan households are now in IPC Phase 5 The Guardian+10Action Against Hunger+10Action Against Hunger+10.
• Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS): Local organization providing emergency medical services, ambulances, and trauma care—even amid repeated attacks on staff Wikipedia.
• Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF): U.S.-based charity arranging free medical treatment for children from Gaza and the West Bank, sending equipment and personnel and offering mental-health support Wikipedia.
• MedGlobal: U.S.-based NGO deploying medical staff and supplies to Gaza to respond to emergency health needs on the ground Wikipedia.
• Gaza Soup Kitchen: Grassroots Gaza-based initiative founded in 2024 feeding thousands daily—but severely hampered by blockade conditions Wikipedia.

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📝 Sample Text to Write to a Representative

Dear [Representative Name],
I write to urge you to take immediate action regarding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The latest IPC assessment shows almost half a million Palestinians are facing catastrophic hunger (IPC Phase 5), with millions more in acute food insecurity. Medical facilities are overwhelmed, and aid workers are suffering hunger themselves.
Please support efforts to:

• Restore full access to humanitarian aid via U.N. agencies like WFP and UNICEF.
• Support legislation calling for a ceasefire and safe humanitarian corridors.
• Condition further policy or assistance on respect for international humanitarian law and civilian protection.

Lives depend on urgent international action. Thank you for your leadership at this critical moment.

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Reflections…

The hunger crisis in Gaza has reached a famine-level catastrophe driven by conflict, blockade, and restricted humanitarian access. The evidence––rising malnutrition deaths, overwhelmed clinics, and stalled aid—shows a crisis escalating daily.

By combining public pressure on politicians with donations to reputable organizations working on the ground, ordinary people can contribute to saving lives. Even small acts—social media advocacy, writing letters, or sharing information—help amplify global awareness and galvanize action.

“Many of us like to ask ourselves, “What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid?What would I do if my country was committing genocide?”
The answer is, you’re doing it. Right now.” – Aaron Bushnell

Thank you for your time!

Blanche