Evaluation of the Gaza emergency response - ActionAid

“Operation cast lead”, was a three-week offensive started on the 27th of December 2008 in Gaza. The offensive claimed 14 Israeli and approximately 1,400 Palestinian lives, including over 300 children [Goldstone report]. More than 5,380 were injured, of whom 1,872 were children, and 800 women. Between 40-70% of the wounded suffered severe traumatic injuries, and eleven percent among the injured have become permanently disabled.

When Operation cast lead took place, ActionAid had yet no presence in Gaza. It had, however, an office in the West Bank through its associate organization Austcare (now AA Australia) and a network of contacts and linkages with Palestinian organizations operating in the Gaza strip. When operation cast lead happened, AA resolved to respond to the humanitarian crisis, and derived the needed financial resources from the DEC appeal as well as from its own fundraising (AA/UK Gaza Appeal). Despite access challenges (during operation cast lead, access to Gaza for international NGOs / Media was curtailed by Israeli authorities for weeks) and the relatively small size of the OPt team, ActionAid/ Austcare managed to rapidly and effectively mount a response.