Here is a list of 70+ high-impact charities that are active in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OpT), as well as parts of West Bank and elsewhere.
In Gaza, large charities like UNRWA, ANERA, Islamic Relief & Palestine Red Crescent and others manage large schools, clinics, and off-site refugee camps and have the experience, network and local connectivity to assess what is needed. They also have sizeable expenses given their enlarged footprint, impact, headcount, and infrastructure.
Small charities with only 2-3 volunteers may spend much smaller amounts on expenses, but in terms of scale, will also have a much smaller reach compared to UNRWA, ANERA, Islamic Relief & Palestine Red Crescent and others. They may also sometimes operate with minimal complexity and therefore, move much faster.
Put simply, there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
In the end, running a charity is about delivering aid (with full accountability) which understandably – always costs money. Nothing’s ever for free, especially in conflict zones. The key therefore is to find a charity that matches how you want to help, as every charity plays an important role in their own respective way.
Source: Ayaan Institute: Aiding the Ummah : Analysing the Muslim Humanitarian Charity Sector in the UK), click here.
OTHER OPTIONS:
The costs of sending donations into Gaza are exploitatively high.
For example, if one were to send HK$2,000 into Gaza via PayPal, Western Union or MoneyGram, they will stealthily quote an FX rate that is approximately 4% higher than the official FX rate (HK-USD-Shekels). Next, they will charge approximately HK$150+ for the transfer, costing in total no less than 8%-12%, of the amount one is trying to send.
Put simply, for every US$100 sent into Gaza, Western Union, PayPal and others will unashamedly pocket up to $12+ for itself. They will likely claim the regulatory compliance cost is high and while this is partly true, 12% is astronomically high by any standard.
LaunchGood, JustGiving, DonorBox, GoFundMe & MuslimGiving
There are also several crowdfunding platforms today.
| PLATFORM | CHARGES |
| LaunchGood | 2.9% credit card processing fee + 0.30 cents |
| JustGiving | between 1.9%-2.9% |
| GoFundMe | 2.9% credit card processing fee + 0.30 cents |
| Donorbox | 4.4% |
| MuslimGiving | Voluntary fees decided by users |