Australian Red Cross is supporting the humanitarian efforts of Red Cross and Red Crescent partners who are on the ground delivering vital humanitarian work in Occupied Palestinian Territory, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt.

With funding from the Government, major donors, and corporate partners, we have provided much-needed humanitarian assistance, including the deployment of 12 humanitarian specialists to support ICRC hospital operations and offer urgent care to the wounded and vulnerable.

In addition, with support from the Australian Government, Australian Red Cross has been assisting people from Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory who have arrived on temporary visas and are facing financial hardship, offering emergency relief through our existing Safety Net Program to 1,163 recipients to date (as at 30 August 2024).

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Your donation will help us and Red Cross and Red Crescent partners address immediate and long-term needs from the crisis across the Middle East region, including:

• Providing emergency relief such as healthcare, water, sanitation, shelter, and protection services
• Deploying specialist humanitarian workers to support humanitarian operations
• Monitoring conditions for those who have been taken hostage, arrested, or detained to ensure humane treatment and dignity, where access is granted
• Restoring contact between family members separated by the crisis through our Restoring Family Links service and offering support to repatriated community members
• Promoting and monitoring the application of international humanitarian law (IHL), which requires all parties to armed conflict to protect civilians and hospitals
• Monitoring and evaluating the humanitarian response to ensure effective support reaches those in need.

In Australia, our Restoring Family Links service is available for people who have lost contact with loved ones in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Call 1800 875 199 9am–5pm (AEDT) or email tracing@redcross.org.au.

If your loved one is an Australian citizen, you can also contact the DFAT Consular Emergency hotline on 1300 555 135 for support and advice.

Yes, donations of gifts over $2 are tax deductible in Australia. If you receive a material benefit for your donation then it is not tax deductible: for example, if you receive points or another material benefit from your credit card provider.

You will receive a receipt in your name.

Australian Red Cross will ensure that at least 90% of funds raised for this international appeal are spent directly on this response. Our appeal and administration costs vary depending upon the type and scale of activity.

Up to 10% of funds received are used to fund our core operating costs that make the response possible e.g. office facilities, staff, and IT services, and donor call centres.

We welcome volunteer support, but we can’t send volunteers overseas to help in an emergency or humanitarian crisis. When we need to send people overseas, we have a roster of skilled aid workers with extensive experience in their field, together with previous international experience, and training in how our emergency operations work.

To volunteer with Red Cross in Australia, visit redcross.org.au/volunteer to search volunteer opportunities.

We really appreciate the generosity, but we are not accepting in-kind donations for food, clothes, medical equipment or other items, as we’re unable to distribute those overseas. There are several good reasons for this. Every item has to be checked, cleaned, sorted, packed, transported, stored and distributed, which hugely increases the cost of the relief effort and diverts from work that may be needed on the ground.

Also, the items donated aren’t always what people need. But cash helps people make dignified choices that are right for them. Even worse, unwanted boxes of donated goods can clog ports and post offices and actually prevent the delivery of essential items like medicines and relief supplies.

The website DonateResponsibly.org has a great explanation of what can go wrong.

If you have good-quality clothes or household items, our Red Cross Shops would gratefully accept them, to on-sell in Australia and raise funds for our vital work. Find out how you can donate.