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West Bank and Gaza

Marginalized and isolated, young Palestinians seek connections to the wider world.

Photo: Thatcher Cook for Mercy Corps

In the West Bank and Gaza, Mercy Corps has worked since the 1980s to help communities meet their immediate needs while providing a solid foundation for the development of a robust civil society. Recent emergency food and job programs have helped families in Gaza persevere through times of economic distress and political turmoil. And the West Bank town of Dura has a new Girls Vocational School — the showpiece of nine schools Mercy Corps has built there since 2003.

Blog Post: A mother in search of peace ›

Topics: Peaceful Change, Conflict & War

It's big news at our Portland HQ that staff member Isdud Al-Najjar is in town. That's because her home is in Gaza, where the odds of getting out are about the same as winning Powerball.

Blog Post: Gaza photo contest: And the winner is ... ›

Topics: Youth, Conflict & War

Recently we invited 100 students in the Gaza Strip, 15-21 years old, to help others see the world through their eyes through photographs.

Blog Post: Recognizing our common humanity through photos ›

Topics: Youth, Marginalized Groups, Emergencies, Conflict & War

For two days now, we've hand-carried photo frames from Israel's border to the Gaza Strip, walking through a long silent tunnel and crossing a high cement wall.

Video: CNN's 'Generation Islam' Puts Youth in the Lead ›

Topics: Youth, Technology & Internet, Conflict & War, Civil Society

CNN's Christiane Amanpour interviews youth in Gaza who participate in Mercy Corps' Global Citizen Corps in her Special Report, "Generation Islam."

What We’re Doing in Gaza ›

Topics: Conflict & War, Emergencies, Youth

Mercy Corps has launched a comprehensive psychosocial program involving one-on-one treatment to traumatized youth and assistance to parents and caregivers.

Aid delivery reaches Gaza ›

Despite many obstacles and bureaucratic procedures presented by the Israeli authorities, Mercy Corps successfully delivered emergency relief food items to Gaza on Thursday.

Connections To Crisis ›

Topics: Education, Global Engagement, Youth
When Cara Van Goder-Lasof's students returned to school from winter break, she had some sad news for them. One of the students from Gaza that they'd gotten to know over the previous months was dead.

Youth Voices from Gaza ›

Updates from youth in Mercy Corps' Global Youth Connectivity initiative, a program that links students from the Middle East with their peers in the U.S. through videoconferencing and an online discussion forum.

Work in Gaza Continues Amid Closure ›

Mercy Corps' programs in Gaza are struggling to operate amid Israel's ongoing closure of Gaza's border, which has led to fuel rationing, electricity and water shortages and rising prices.

Video: Sports for Life ›

Topics: Sports, Disability

In 2008, the Palestinian Federation for the Disabled became the Palestinian Paralympics Committee (PPC). Its purpose is to enhance the skills and abilities of people with disabilities through sports.

West Bank/Gaza Facts

  • Population (2008): 2.4 million
  • Size: slightly smaller than Delaware
  • Human Development Index rank: n/a
  • Mercy Corps involvement dates to 1986
  • Primary work: Rebuilding schools in the West Bank, equipping people with disabilities, delivering food aid to Gazan families, connecting Palestinian youth with U.S. high schoolers, providing employment in economically isolated Gaza.

Program Details

Since the 1980s, Mercy Corps has been working to help Palestinians in Gaza meet their immediate needs for survival and find durable solutions to chronic problems.

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Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities.

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