Stories from the Gaza Hub
Published on September 7, 2025 by Global Shapers
Thank you for your care in seeking out this page and supporting our Shaper family in Gaza.
You can find more details in the "About" section on the main page regarding the urgent needs and context.
Below is the Needs Assessment kindly provided by Bader, the Curator from the Gaza Hub, including stories and case studies from the Gaza Shapers.
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You can find more details in the "About" section on the main page regarding the urgent needs and context.
Below is the Needs Assessment kindly provided by Bader, the Curator from the Gaza Hub, including stories and case studies from the Gaza Shapers.
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Rapid Needs Assessment: Gaza Hub Shapers, Restoring Hope, and Helping Helpers
1. Number of people requiring assistance:
20 Shapers and their families (Average family members number for each shaper is 6 including children and elderly men and women)
2. Required support per person: $1000 per Shaper as a first instalment. If fundraising goes well, we could transfer again to the Shapers as to continue covering their needs and responding to their households’ needs.
3. Total initial fundraising target: $20,000 (suggest adding $5,000 due to transaction fees for funds to be able to enter Gaza)
4. Main needs (see below)
Expansion scenario: If we raise additional funds beyond our initial target, how many non-Shapers could we help?
Community support expansion options (with additional funding): This support can suffice each household for a period of 3 weeks.
- Mini supply kitchen ($1,500-$5,000): Estimated reach of [10-33] households
- Aid distribution centre ($5,000-$15,000): Estimated reach of [33-100] households
- Expanded community support ($20,000+): Estimated reach of [133+] households
Please read below a quick elaboration on the Shapers identified needs and some case studies from our Gaza Shapers.
Shapers Identified Needs:
1. Emergency Shelter Support:
- Financial aid for renting temporary apartments as part of a contingency plan in the event of forced evacuation from Gaza city to the southern Gaza Strip.
- Tents as backup shelter solutions where rentals are unavailable or unsafe.
One of the shapers is obliged to rent a house for $3000 a month. This amount of money will be paid to the landlord. This will NOT cover food, water, medicine, and additional basic needs that are also exorbitant. Additionally, the shaper has limited access to healthcare and must pay out-of-pocket for essential medicines and first-aid supplies. One member of the household requires ongoing treatment for a chronic illness, with medications costing over $200 per month. There are no free clinics or public health programs that cover these needs.
2. Financial Aid to Purchase Necessities:
- Food and clean water to ensure survival during displacement.
- Essential medicines and first-aid supplies, including chronic illness medications.
- Baby formula and childcare items for those with dependents.
One of the shapers was forced to flee their home due to conflict, arriving in a new area with no access to stable income. While he has arranged temporary shelter, he was responsible for covering the cost of food, clean water, and essential medical supplies on their own.
The daily cost of basic nutrition and hydration for his family of six amounts to approximately $40 per day, totalling around $1200 per month. This does not include special dietary needs or baby formula, which adds an additional $150 per month for a dependent infant.
Additionally, one family member suffers from a chronic illness requiring monthly medication costing $200, and over the counter first-aid supplies and hygiene items bring the total closer to $1600 per month.
These expenses are not subsidized and place an unsustainable burden on the family, especially during the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe, and the scarcity of assistance from international relief organisations. Without immediate support, the family risks malnutrition, untreated illness, and deteriorating health conditions.
3. Personal Priorities:
- Flexibility in funding to allow each Shaper to address their most urgent personal needs, which may include hygiene supplies, communication tools, or transport.
One of the Shapers in Gaza had to pay around $250 for a vehicle to transport their stuff from the north to the south only for one time. It was reported from the Shaper that he at least needs two to three rounds of transportations to move all his family’s stuff to the south which poses a financial burden. Most of the Shapers staying in the northern Gaza Strip are doing the same during this “safety margin” given to people before an official displacement order is published. The true cost of survival, including transportation fees, food, water, healthcare, and childcare, is significantly higher, and there is no financial safety net to fall back on. Without external support, the shaper and their dependents face ongoing risk of being stuck in red zones, and eventual homelessness.
Providing immediate support to these Shapers is not only a humanitarian necessity but also an investment in Gaza’s recovery, as these individuals continue to play a vital role in fostering resilience, civic leadership, and hope.