Since October 7th, the State of Israel has faced one of the most significant security challenges in its history, with threats and attacks on all its borders. Residents of northern Israel have been living under a prolonged state of emergency—barrages of rockets and UAVs, frequent sirens, mass evacuations, shuttered businesses, and disrupted communities—while the future of the northern front remains fragile and uncertain.
From the very start of the war, we at the Galila Foundation focused our efforts on supporting the residents of the North by identifying emerging needs on the ground and providing rapid, targeted, and large-scale responses. We developed a strategic approach based on two core principles:
- Identifying the most critical needs for the safety and well-being of northern residents through intensive mapping, ongoing dialogues with community leaders, and firsthand familiarity with developments on the ground.
- Direct collaboration with key stakeholders and on-the-ground engagement, bypassing bureaucracies and intermediaries ensuring that resources are purchased, processed and delivered precisely and effectively – to where they are most needed.
Thanks to the wide range of regional experiences and in-depth knowledge of the region and its communities—and the fact that all of us at Galila, staff and volunteers alike, are northern residents—we forged strong ties with local communities, security and social leaders and their grassroots initiatives. This allows us to respond to evolving needs and continue supporting the residents and social entrepreneurs throughout this challenging time.
