GOAL joins global humanitarian efforts to promote Protection of Civilians Week amid ongoing horrors against civilians in Gaza.

The World’s Most Dangerous Place for Civilians: Gaza

 As Protection of Civilians Week 2025 calls global attention to the urgent need to uphold international humanitarian law and safeguard civilians caught in conflict, nowhere is this more vital than in Gaza. Officially recorded as the most dangerous place in the world for civilians in 2024, Gaza accounted for nearly 40% of all victims globally. Over 50,000 lives have been lost, over 116,000 people have been injured, and over 90% of the population has been forcibly displaced since October 2023. Despite protections under international law, Palestinian civilians continue to endure daily bombardment, forced displacement, and starvation, while humanitarian access remains severely restricted.

Gaza’s health system is on the verge of total collapse: of 36 hospitals, only 16 remain partially functional. More than 1,000 health workers have been killed, and nearly 900 verified attacks on health infrastructure have devastated medical care.

Against this backdrop, GOAL, in partnership with the Palestinian NGO Taawon, has been providing funds to operate two medical stations in northern Gaza. Since this funding was first delivered in September 2024, the medical stations have served 16,000 people despite extreme operational challenges and aid blockades.

The GOAL-funded clinics, operated by the local AWDA Health and Community Association, remain operational but are currently under immense pressure. With no medical supplies entering Gaza, teams rely on dwindling local stock while continuing to serve thousands of new arrivals displaced by renewed violence. Medical workers are operating under extreme stress, with Taawon reporting contingency evacuation plans in place should facilities come under attack.

GOAL’s Response: A Sustained and Expanded Partnership

In response to these escalating needs, GOAL is proud to announce the continuation of our partnership with Taawon for a further four months, made possible by the support of generous private donors. This funding will allow GOAL and Taawon to continue delivering critical health services, despite ongoing insecurity and limited humanitarian access.

As part of this renewed phase of operations, GOAL will also expand its partnership with Taawon into the northern West Bank city of Jenin, an area experiencing a sharp deterioration in humanitarian conditions. Military operations in the West Bank have intensified since the short-lived Gaza ceasefire collapsed after just 43 days. Over 40,000 people have been displaced across the West Bank since mid-January 2025.

This prolonged violence has disproportionately impacted women and youth, who face growing protection risks, psychological trauma, and barriers to accessing health services. With the support of new funding, GOAL and Taawon will prioritise targeted assistance for these vulnerable groups.

The Desperate Need to Uphold IHL

Andy Buchanan, GOAL Senior Programme Coordinator for the Middle East, shared:

“This extension of our partnership with Taawon allows us to continue critical health support in Gaza and expand into Jenin, with a focus on women and youth most impacted by ongoing violence. But lasting protection can’t come from aid alone, it requires a sustained ceasefire and full respect for international humanitarian law.”

Speaking about the need to not only react to casualties, but also to mitigate them from occurring and to uphold International Humanitarian Law (IHL), Paul Westbury, GOAL Regional Security Advisor, said:

“Under International Humanitarian Law, civilians must never be the target. Yet in Gaza and the West Bank, civilian lives, homes, and infrastructure continue to bear the brunt of armed conflict. At GOAL, our commitment to protecting life doesn’t end at delivering aid; it includes advocating for the rules of war to be upheld. Through our partnership with Taawon, we’re responding to urgent needs, but no amount of humanitarian response can substitute for the protection civilians are legally and morally entitled to. Civilian safety must never be optional. It must be enforced.”

Call to Action

GOAL joins the international community in urgently calling for:

• An immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza
• Safe and unimpeded humanitarian access.
• Protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel in accordance with international law.

This Protection of Civilians Week, as the global community reflects on practical tools to enhance the protection of civilians, GOAL’s message is clear: words must now turn to action. Lives depend on it.

Please visit https://www.unocha.org/events/protection-civilians-week-2025