Event Summary
The New Israel Fund (NIF) has donated more than three million dollars (over 10 million Shekels) in humanitarian aid to Gaza residents. According to the Fund’s announcement, the money will be transferred to three organizations: World Central Kitchen (WCK), Clean Shelter, and the International Rescue Committee, which provide food, water, shelter, and sanitation services.
The donation was motivated by a growing realization among Israelis that the government is not doing enough to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. NIF’s CEO, Daniel Sokatch, stated: “The Israeli government is not allowing sufficient food into Gaza, but as people of conscience, we cannot stand idly by.”
NIF is a veteran civil society organization founded in 1979. Its mission is to promote justice, equality, and democracy in Israel, and a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
NIF and its leadership, in Israel and the United States, are calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, the release of all hostages and the pursuit of a diplomatic solution that will end the painful and bloody Israeli-Palestinian conflict and ensure the safety, prosperity, and security of all peoples of the region—Israelis and Palestinians alike.
In their daily work, NIF staff promote equality between all residents of Israel regardless of ethnicity or religion, and work to preserve and strengthen Israeli democracy. They do this by supporting a wide range of civil society organizations through grant making, professional training, and consulting.
A donation designated for humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza during wartime is seen by some parts of Israeli society as a necessary and important step, while by others as an unacceptable act. Its very existence demonstrates the ability of civil society to take a stand and act on deeply contested issues, even in times of a complex and difficult war.