Over 28 million people need humanitarian aid in the Middle East, warns Oxfam

Oxfam has warned that the Middle East "sits on a precipice", with nearly 30 million people in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.

With ongoing crises in Iraq, Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Yemen, humanitarian director Jane Cocking has declared the situation the worst in decades.

"In my entire career, I've never seen so much need in the Middle East," she said in a statement today.

"The crisis across the region has escalated over the last five weeks with the outbreak of conflict in Gaza and increasing violence in Iraq. There are six year olds in Gaza living through their third war, pregnant women seeking shelter in the desert and people living in fear for their lives."

Cocking added that complex political structures and issues mean that delivering sufficient aid and working to full capacity is made difficult for humanitarian organisations on the ground.

"The role of humanitarian agencies is keeping people - and hope - alive. It is also about getting them back on their feet...There has never been a greater need for us to work with local partners and find long-term solutions to the problems," she said.

The latest statistics from the region reveal that almost one million Syrians have no access to clean water, while Gazans are living on less than one litre of clean water per day, which falls far below UN emergency standards.

The continued siege by Islamic State militants across Iraq has left 2.2 million civilians internally displaced, and an estimated 1.5 million people in need of humanitarian aid, according to the UN.

In addition, almost half of Yemen's 23 million population doesn't have enough food, and 13 million have no access to safe water – Cocking has branded it "a chronic and deepening crisis".

Oxfam is thus urging the international community to increase aid to these countries in particular.

The Disaster Emergencies Committee (DEC) launched a Gaza appeal last week. To donate, click here, call the 24 hour hotline on 0370 60 60 900, donate over the counter at any high street bank or post office, or send a cheque.

You can also donate £5 by texting the word SUPPORT to 70000.

related articles
How to pray when the world is in crisis
How to pray when the world is in crisis

When news from Ukraine, Israel, Iraq and beyond makes us despair, how should we pray?

Too much information... how graphic images of death and destruction make us care less
Too much information... how graphic images of death and destruction make us care less

Graphic pictures from crash sites and battlefields desensitise us to the reality of suffering, writes Mark Woods.

Crisis in Iraq - five things you can ACTUALLY do to help
Crisis in Iraq - five things you can ACTUALLY do to help

If you're feeling helpless as you read/watch the news about Christians in Iraq, there are things you can do.

As fighting resumes in Gaza, \'humanitarian emergency\' declared
As fighting resumes in Gaza, 'humanitarian emergency' declared

The three-day ceasefire between Israel and Gaza has ended, with reports of 21 rockets being fired over the border from Hamas militants.

Can the US stop ISIS\' reign of terror?
Can the US stop ISIS' reign of terror?

The advance of ISIS towards Kurdistan has given the US a reason to intervene. What effect will airstrikes have?

Gaza\'s tiny Christian community under siege
Gaza's tiny Christian community under siege

New survey released today shows there are 1313 Christians living in Gaza.

Yazidis on Mount Sinjar: could escalate to genocide within days or hours
Yazidis on Mount Sinjar: could escalate to genocide within days or hours

News reports show desperate refugees stranded on a mountain in northern Iraq clamouring to board aid helicopters as they deliver vital food and water.

News
Faith in difficult times: lessons from 1930s Britain
Faith in difficult times: lessons from 1930s Britain

Architectural historian Steven Brindle talks to Christian Today about the faith that shaped 1930s Britain, the churches that supported struggling communities and what lessons the decade might have for us today.

Campaign aims to mobilise 500,000 Christians for Christmas outreach
Campaign aims to mobilise 500,000 Christians for Christmas outreach

Shine Your Light is aiming to mobilise half a million Christians to share the gospel with five million people across the UK this Christmas, with more than 2,000 churches already signed up, organisers say.

The Church of England should repent for previous calls to ban 'conversion therapy'
The Church of England should repent for previous calls to ban 'conversion therapy'

The Church of England's uneasiness about the government's ‘conversion practices’ bill is a perfect lesson in the old adage, 'be careful what you wish for,' writes Dr Martin Davie.

Leaked Home Office report links 'Christian extremism' to traditionalist beliefs and immigration concerns
Leaked Home Office report links 'Christian extremism' to traditionalist beliefs and immigration concerns

An internal Home Office report lists concerns about immigration, multiculturalism and changing social values among the characteristics associated with what it calls "Christian extremism", it has been reported.