British aid worker in Gaza for Christmas says UK donors are giving people ‘hope’

A British aid worker spending Christmas in Gaza has said the generosity of the UK public is giving “hope” to families affected by the conflict in the Middle East.

An appeal by The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), a coalition of UK charities, has raised £37.5 million since launching in October to support those affected by the crisis in Gaza, Lebanon and the wider region.

The King and Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales are among those who have donated.

Rachael Cummings, 51, of DEC member charity Save the Children, is on the ground this Christmas working in “unimaginably tough conditions” and “under bombardment”.

However, Ms Cummings, from Streatham, south London, said the funds raised “offer some hope to children and their families whose lives have been turned upside down.”

The DEC said that winter weather is worsening conditions for 1.9 million displaced people in Gaza, with charities using the donations to provide blankets, hygiene supplies, clean water and cash.

Ms Cummings added: “With help from funds donated by the UK public, we will be scaling up healthcare to mothers and their babies, and have already delivered cash assistance to families who find themselves stranded and with little money to support their children.”

Over Christmas, DEC member charity Oxfam will offer psychosocial support for women dealing with trauma, while the British Red Cross is providing vital medical care to the sick and injured.

Saleh Saeed, chief executive of the DEC, said: “It’s clear that the incredibly generous donations from the UK public to the DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal are already making a real difference to the huge numbers of people struggling this winter in Gaza, Lebanon and the wider region.”