Ceasefire starts, now the difficult work can begin

In just seven days 100,000 Oxfam International supporters sent messages to their leaders demanding that they do everything in their power to achieve an immediate ceasefire. Thankfully, that ceasefire is currently in place and now and the difficult work of rebuilding can begin.

The impact of the conflict on civilians has been appalling. It will take weeks, months, if not years for the wounds to heal.

During the conflict, we had to put our ongoing programme in Gaza on hold. Our staff, and the staff of our partner organisations, had been forced to shelter during the bombardment. You can read the personal story of one of our staff members, Mohammad Ali, who blogged throughout the conflict.

Now the fighting is over, we're seeing the full extent of the suffering - it's so severe that the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has launched an appeal. You can donate to this essential work here.

While it will take some time before our long-term programme work can start again, there are immediate priorities on the ground in Gaza that need to be tackled now.

There is little food available in the market and the price has reached a level that is unaffordable for most Gazans. We're involved in delivering food parcels to the most needy.

We are working through our partners to provide clean water to 80,000 people in the Gaza Strip. We're trucking water to those who need it the most and helping to repair water systems that were damaged in the fighting.

Our response is still in its early stages. We call on all parties to keep to the ceasefire, and on the Israeli authorities to end the blockade, so that life-saving supplies can reach the people who have already suffered so much.

With your help, we'll work with our partners in Gaza to reach thousands of people caught up in the crisis. Please donate here now