Based on my research, I’m covering some ways you can help people in Palestine and Israel. I think it is worth at least a few hours of every person's time to help people during a war and humanitarian crisis. 

This is not fully comprehensive, so please add comments with other ways to help people in Palestine and Israel and/or thoughts on effectiveness. I focus on what U.S. citizens can do since that’s where I’m from and the U.S. has close ties to Israel. However, there are likely similar actions people from other countries can take. If you know of ways people outside the U.S. can help, please write them in the comments. 

I cover working to stop the deaths of innocent civilians in Palestine, working to get Israeli hostages released, and improving the humanitarian conditions in Palestine. At the end of this post, I included tips on how to effectively reach U.S. politicians, and a summary of the things you can do to help people in Palestine and Israel. 

Stopping and reducing the deaths of civilians in Palestine  

The situation

In their efforts to defeat Hamas, the Israeli government is dropping bombs and leading ground attacks that have killed over 17,000 Palestinians and over 5,000 children. There is no safe place in Gaza, and Palestinians are not allowed to leave Gaza. After Israel told civilians to move to the south, it continued to strike there too. 

More children have been killed in Gaza in the past 2.5 months than the 2,985 children killed in all the world's major conflict zones combined last year. Casualty and weapons experts say people are being killed in Gaza more quickly than the deadliest moments of U.S.-led attacks in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, which were themselves widely criticized by human rights groups.  

How to help

The current Israeli administration’s approach to the war is killing thousands of innocent civilians and children. For people outside Israel, the most effective way to influence the actions of the Israeli government is through political pressure from your own country’s government. I’ll focus on the United States. However, if you live in another country, it would help to pressure your politicians as well.  

The U.S. government has close ties to Israel and gives around $3.3 billion dollars of aid to Israel each year. 

The United States has influence over Israel. For example, it’s likely that U.S. pressure was a significant factor in the recent decision to open the 'Kerem Shalom' crossing to let in more humanitarian aid to Gaza. U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan wrote on December 15, “President Biden raised this issue in recent phone calls with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and it was an important topic of discussion during my visit to Israel…This new opening will ease congestion and help facilitate the delivery of life-saving assistance to those who need it urgently in Gaza.” 

I’ll cover what the U.S. government can do and what U.S. residents can do to influence the U.S. government. 

Members of the U.S. Congress and the Biden administration can

1. Call for a ceasefire or call for a targeted counterterrorism attack on Hamas instead of indiscriminate bombing 
2. Make U.S. aid to Israel conditional on ending indiscriminate bombing, 
   1. Bernie Sanders proposed other conditions as well

(If you know of other actions the U.S. government can take to prevent the deaths of civilians in Palestine, please comment them) 

To influence members of the U.S. Congress and Biden administration, you can

1. Email, call, or send physical mail to your representatives and urge them to act on the above 
   1. You can find their contact information online. 
   2. Many offices log every message and send daily or weekly updates of constituent messages to the representative. 
   3. If many people call or email about an issue and/or the representative reads a compelling message, it increases the likelihood that the representative will prioritize an issue or change their position. 
      1. Of course, there’s only a small likelihood your message will influence your representative, but I think it’s worth the 15 minutes it takes. Like voting, a collective of people doing something can influence major political decisions. 
   4. At the bottom of this post, I include information on how to most effectively contact your representatives 
2. Email or call the White House using this link 
3. Attend a protest calling for a ceasefire. According to research by Erica Chenoweth, “Nonviolent protests are twice as likely to succeed as armed conflicts – and those engaging a threshold of 3.5% of the population have never failed to bring about change.” 
   1. You can find a list of protests around the world here

Getting Israeli hostages released 

The situation

There are about 140 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. Twenty hostages have died since the Oct. 7 attacks. The hostages are not given enough food. They are living in fear. Since the hostages are in Gaza, they are at risk of being killed during fighting. 

How to help 

For people in Israel, putting pressure on the Netanyahu administration could influence the Israeli government to prioritize the release of hostages. 

In the United States, members of Congress and the Biden administration can

1. Call for the immediate release of hostages (as most U.S. politicians have already done) 
2. Use their influence in international diplomacy to start negotiations for the release of the hostages 
3. Call for a ceasefire or call for a targeted counterterrorism attack on Hamas instead of indiscriminate bombing and fighting that could kill hostages 

To influence members of the U.S. Congress and Biden administration, you can: 

1. Email, call, or send physical mail to your representatives and urge them to act on the above
   1.  At the bottom of this post, I include information on how to effectively contact your representatives 
2. Email, call, or text the White House using these links

Improving the humanitarian conditions in Gaza  

The situation 

The 2.3 million people in Gaza do not have enough food, fuel, water, or medical supplies. The World Food Programme declared a “catastrophic hunger crisis” in Gaza on December 5. Most people in Gaza are homeless, and some have moved 3 or 4 times in the past few months. In crowded shelters that do not meet basic sanitation and hygiene needs, disease spreads quickly. Doctors perform amputations by flashlight and without anesthesia.  

As reported by The New York Times, “Before the war, some 500 trucks with essential supplies came into Gaza every day, many from Egypt via the Rafah crossing. Far fewer have made it across since the bombardment began, even during the ceasefire. The trucks slowed to a trickle once the fighting resumed.” It is extremely difficult to distribute and restock aid amidst fighting and bombing. 

How to help  

Pressure politicians 

In the United States, members of the U.S. government can: 

1. Demand a ceasefire or a targeted, counterterrorism attack on Hamas  
   1. Palestinians are living in these awful conditions because of the war and Israel’s approach to the war. The war is forcing them to move often, live in shelters, and not be able to grow or make food. It is difficult for aid to get through due to heavy bombing and fighting. 
2. Work with Israel, Egypt, and international organizations to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza 
   1. Israel committed to letting in 200 trucks/day in the hostage deal. They recently opened the Kerem-Shalom crossing since the Rafah crossing could only security check and let pass 100 trucks/day. However, 200 trucks/day is not enough. Before the war, some 500 trucks with essential supplies came into Gaza every day.
   2. When trucks get into Gaza, they face the challenge of distributing the aid to 2.3 million people. A U.S. official from COGAT, the branch of the military which coordinates humanitarian aid to Palestine, said that the UN and other humanitarian agencies have not increased their collection and distribution capacities to meet the needs of Gazans who have fled to the South on Israeli advice. Juliette Touma, communications director of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency, pushed back, saying on X "You cannot deliver aid under a sky full of airstrikes."

You can pressure members of your government to act on the above through calling/emailing them and going to protests. I included information about how U.S. residents can effectively contact their representatives and the Biden administration at the bottom of this post. 

Donate 

Donating to GiveWell-recommended organizations is most likely more effective at saving and improving lives than donating to organizations in Gaza. Malaria kills over 600,000 people annually. 

However, I know many EAs set aside some of their money for donating to causes they feel strongly about that might not be the most cost-effective. I’ve done some research on a few organizations, but please comment below if you know of other organizations that are good to donate to. 

1. Palestine Children’s Relief Fund is delivering food, water, and medical supplies to Gaza. They post updates on their website of the aid getting delivered to Gaza. They have a Charity Navigator rating of 97% which indicates high financial  efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness. 
2. You can donate eSIMs to Gaza through the non-profit Connecting Humanity. This helps Palestinians connect to the Internet and contact their family members.  
   1. Each eSIM costs $10-$50 and the process takes about 15 minutes. 
   2. You can read the guide on how to donate here and read about the initiative here.  
3. The Egyptian Food Bank is delivering aid to Gaza. Since most aid comes from the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings between Egypt and Gaza, I think it’s more likely that this aid will be delivered quickly compared to Western organizations. 
4. Some Doctors Without Borders staff are still operating in Gaza. They donated 26 tons of medical equipment which arrived in Egypt on October 29, but their website doesn’t share any updates about if these medical supplies were delivered to Gaza. GiveWell has recommended Doctors without Borders as a good disaster relief organization before. 

How to effectively reach U.S. politicians 

I think the best way to influence the Biden administration is to protest (see a list of protests here), email, and text. 

I think the best way to influence Congress is to protest and contact the member of Congress for your district. Offices prioritize messages from people in their district. 

I remember feeling some hesitation to contact my members of Congress about the Israel-Hamas war because I’d never called the offices of my members of Congress before. However, I think after one or two calls or emails, it begins to feel natural. 

As I mentioned, if many people send a message about an issue and/or the representative reads a compelling message, it increases the likelihood that the representative will prioritize an issue or change their position. Of course, there’s only a small likelihood your message will influence your representative, but I think it’s worth the 15 minutes it takes. Like voting, a collective of people doing something can influence major political decisions. 

You can reach your Congress member through 

1. Phone call 
2. Email 
3. Physical mail (see a video on how to send mail with photos from the war to your Congress member here)
4. Fax 

Most congressional offices will send daily or weekly reports to their member of Congress. These reports typically include the number of messages received about an issue and some or all of the messages. 

You can Google the office numbers, emails, and addresses of your congressional representatives. 

Tips for reaching your Congress member effectively

1. Write your message as if the Congress member will actually read your message or the notes from your phone call. Many members of Congress get regular updates with constituent messages. 
   1. Have clear asks  (Ex. Please make aid to Israel conditional on stopping their indiscriminate bombing)  
   2. Include specific reason (or reasons) for what you are urging your member of Congress to do. Phone calls that rely on scripts from advocacy organizations tend to be downgraded. 
      1. Since the Congress member has access to these messages, it’s likely more effective to put your reasons than to just state your position. 
   3. Do your research on the current position of your member of Congress. You can read their press releases and X/Twitter feed. 
      1. If their actions align with your position, you can call, express appreciation for what they did, and iterate the importance of this issue to you. 
      2. If their actions do not align with your position, you can acknowledge their position while advocating for your own. (Ex. "Israel needs to be safe, but the response to Hamas’s horrifying attacks on civilians in Israel should not have been horrifying attacks on civilians in Gaza.")
2. If no one picks up when you call, try calling at another time. 
   1. The offices of my representatives are more likely to pick up calls in the afternoon. 
3. Call the office and ask the congressional staffer about how messages get to the Congress member and if it is more likely that a call or email will reach the Congress member
   1. This will give you insight into how to most effectively reach the Congress member 

Summary of things you can do to help people in Palestine and Israel

1. Call or email your members of Congress (or the equivalent in your own country) with the following demands. (Of course, only call with the demands that you agree with. If you disagree with one of these demands, I'd be interesting in reading your reasoning in the comments.) 
   1. a ceasefire or pressuring Israel to conduct a targeted, counterterrorism attack on Hamas instead of indiscriminate bombing 
   2. making aid to Israel conditional on ending indiscriminate bombing and fighting 
   3. the release of the hostages
   4. more humanitarian aid for Gaza
2. Email, call, or text the Biden administration(or the equivalent in your own country) with the following demands:
   1. a ceasefire or pressuring Israel to conduct a targeted, counterterrorism attack on Hamas
   2. making aid to Israel conditional on ending indiscriminate bombing and fighting 
   3. the release of the hostages
   4. more humanitarian aid for Gaza
3. Go to a protest calling for a ceasefire
   1. See this list of protests around the world here
4. Donate eSIMs to Gaza through non-profit Connecting Humanity. This helps Palestinians connect to the Internet and contact their family members.  
   1. You can read the guide on how to donate here and read about the initiative here 
5. Donate to aid organizations
   1. Palestine Children’s Relief Fund is delivering food, water, and medical supplies to Gaza. They post regular updates of the aid getting delivered to Gaza. 
   2. You can donate eSIMs to Gaza through the non-profit Connecting Humanity. This helps Palestinians connect to the Internet and contact their family members.  
      1. Each eSIM costs $10-$50 and the process takes about 15 minutes. 
      2. You can read the guide on how to donate here and read about the initiative here.  
   3. The Egyptian Food Bank is sending aid to Gaza. Since aid comes from crossings between Egypt and Gaza, I think it’s more likely that this aid will be delivered quickly compared to Western organizations. 
   4. Some Doctors Without Borders staff are still operating in Gaza. They donated 26 tons of medical equipment which arrived in Egypt on October 29, but their website doesn’t share any updates about if these medical supplies were delivered to Gaza. GiveWell has recommended Doctors without Borders as a good disaster relief organization before.