Flexible support for first aid interventions in Gaza

Palestine

Gaza is home to more than 400 historic buildings, mostly concentrated in the Old City, Deir al-Balah, and Khan Younis. Many remain of daily importance to the communities around them. Since Israel’s escalation of the assault on Palestine, damage to these sites and beyond has been widespread, creating needs far too unpredictable to address with a fixed project cycle. A mosque secured once can be struck again, access to a site blocked for weeks can open suddenly, and the emergency equipment, number of personnel, special resources, and operational costs for a mission can change dramatically.

CER's grant of €70,000 was constructed without a predetermined list of sites. It gave CCHP a reserve to draw on for immediate stabilisation and protection where damage occurred outside existing projects, covering structural reinforcement, debris removal, protective coverings, emergency assessments, rare materials, specialist expertise, and the travel and transport costs of moving people and equipment into and across Gaza. Decisions on where to intervene sat with the team on the ground and local expertise rather than with CER.

CCHP has used the fund at the Great Omari Mosque, the Al-Moghrabi Mamluk Mosque, and the Khan of Amr Younis, returning to the latter to complete a section that was inaccessible during the initial intervention. The flexibility of the support is what allowed for that return, allowing for more conservation efforts as sites gradually became reachable.