Ceasefire Brings Hope to Gaza, But Aid Can’t Wait
Statement from Rabih Torbay, Project HOPE’s CEO and President:
Project HOPE is deeply encouraged by the news of the initial ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which has offered hope for people on both sides of the conflict, including the hostages and their families and the 1.9 million people in Gaza who have endured over two years of relentless suffering, displacement, and fear. We hope this will mark the beginning of a lasting peace in the region that will allow people to begin rebuilding their lives.
While we are heartened by Israel’s agreement to allow an initial 400 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily – and with plans to increase – we cannot stress enough how critical the immediacy and sustainability of this aid is. Every day, Palestinians are dying needlessly, the majority of which are from preventable causes. What’s needed now is immediate, unrestricted humanitarian access, including the rapid distribution of food, clean water, medication, baby formula, and shelter, hygiene, and medical supplies throughout Gaza. To accommodate the level of support that is so desperately needed, we advocate for the opening of all aid crossings and access for international aid workers to enter to provide surge support to relieve local health and aid workers who have been working around the clock for nearly two years without rest or adequate equipment.
At Project HOPE’s six clinics across Gaza, our teams continue to treat patients – including children and pregnant women – who are severely malnourished, suffering from preventable diseases, and experiencing compounding mental health trauma from almost two years of abominable conditions. These are conditions that no ceasefire can fix. Day in and out, Project HOPE’s staff treat people suffering from malnutrition, illnesses caused by a lack of clean water and hygiene, pregnant and post-partum women enduring unimaginable conditions, and children with conflict-related wounds. Day in and out, our colleagues not only provide critical medications, wound and surgical care, and nutritional assistance, but also hold space for the mental health toll of over two years of war. Our teams sit with children who have lost their parents and siblings, and whose art depicts the desperation of their traumatic reality – bombs and fire and bloodshed – scenes that no child should ever even have to imagine, let alone experience firsthand.
In the words of Amroo Al-Zeer, Project HOPE’s Senior Protection Officer in Gaza: “After two years of relentless conflict, Gaza is enduring one of the most severe humanitarian crises of modern times. Homes lie in ruins, livelihoods have vanished, and families are fractured. Beyond physical devastation, deep psychological wounds now threaten both the present and the future. This tragedy cannot be captured by statistics alone; it is defined by profound human suffering that demands urgent global action before the last remnants of hope disappear. Recovering from this level of trauma will require years, possibly a generation of sustained mental health and psychosocial support. Without long-term investment and stability, recovery will remain out of reach.”
Project HOPE will continue to operate primary and maternal health clinics, provide nutritional assistance and mental health support, and distribute clean water to impacted communities across Gaza.
