The DEC’s Middle East Humanitarian Appeal has raised more than £2.5 million in Scotland, with the total raised across the UK reaching more than £30m.

The total has been helped with £200,000 from the Scottish Government’s Humanitarian Emergency Fund and £10m in Aid Match from the UK Government.

The fund was launched last month with charities looking to help people in need in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank as well as keeping an eye on the changing situation in Israel.

DEC members have reported a lack of tents, forcing people to construct makeshift tents with the few shelters in place urgently in need of supplies. Some older people are choosing to stay in their homes because they struggle to move, putting them in urgent need for humanitarian support.

That’s left the member charities delivering mattresses, blankets and other essentials to improve living conditions in the shelters but more funds are needed as winter approaches.

The DEC brings 15 leading UK aid charities at times of crisis overseas to raise funds quickly and efficiently. 

Six members have been leading the fundraising effort in Scotland – they are the British Red Cross, Christian Aid, Islamic Relief, Oxfam, Save the Children and Tearfund.

One person who has been caught up in the conflict in Lebanon, having previously served as an army officer is 67-year-old Walid Al Ali and he said: “The situation is so bad… At my age I should be in my house with my family, visiting relatives, and taking my medication.

“My priority now is to ensure I have enough fuel to heat my home over the winter. 

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“I have stopped my regular health check ups and blood tests. I constantly feel tired but without health checks I don’t know if this is related to my medical conditions.”

Huw Owen from the DEC in Scotland is delighted with the response of the Scottish public and believes it will be a huge help to people, but admitted the situation has been extremely difficult.

He said: “The continued generosity of the Scottish public is hugely welcomed by our member charities and their partners who are now increasingly concerned for hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza and Lebanon who are bracing themselves for colder, wetter weather ahead.

“More and more families face another perilous winter in flimsy shelters often covered in little more than plastic sheets, with little to no sanitation and continuing dire shortages of food and clean water.

“Fresh donations also give renewed hope to aid workers who live in the affected communities and who have been leading the response throughout the conflict.

“Many humanitarians have been killed and many more are continuing their efforts to save lives whilst they have been injured or have lost family members.”

Alison Marshall, CEO at Age International, added: “Whenever there’s a humanitarian crisis, older people are especially at risk of dehydration, malnutrition, serious illness, injury and death, … Yet the needs and rights of older people are usually forgotten, or side-lined, in the planning and implementation of emergency responses.

“We know from talking with our partners in Gaza and Lebanon that, right now, older people can’t get the daily medication they need to manage chronic health conditions like heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Older people are more susceptible to cold and, as temperatures drop with the approach of winter, they need shelter and warm clothing to survive.

“We are working with our humanitarian partners to reach older people with clean water, food, medicines and medical care, warm clothes, assistive products like walking sticks, and mental health support. Please join us by donating today.”

Farah Saifan, an aid worker at Islamic Relief Lebanon said: “Now is the time at an old age to rest, to stay safe in one place, to take medication, to stay with your family. But these elderly people in Lebanon are lost… The cold weather, rising, costs, lack of medication and fuel are taking a toll.”