A group of indie developers have raised more than $200,000 for United Kingdom-based charity Medical Aid for Palestinians. With nine days left for fundraising, the Games for Gaza bundle is looking to meet its next goal of $300,000. The bundle costs $10 for 256 different tabletop and video games, soundtracks, and books.
Game designer Esther Wallace created the Games for Gaza bundle following Israel’s siege on the Gaza Strip. Israeli attacks have reportedly killed more than 7,000 people, according to NPR. The increased violence began after Hamas, the militant group controlling the Gaza Strip, attacked and killed more than 1,400 people in Israel. In the weeks since, Israel has launched extensive airstrikes and a ground invasion, as well as a reported blockade that’s kept essential aid out of the country. Over recent days, Gazans have reported “near-total” internet and communication outages, according to The Verge.
Medical Aid for Palestinians has responded to the crisis by providing much needed supplies to people displaced or injured by the attacks. “Since the limited opening of the Rafah border crossing on 22 October, the first time since the blockade, a drop in an ocean of 74 aid trucks of food, water and medicine arrived in Gaza,” Medical Aid for Palestinians said on their website. “Prior to 7 October, an average of 500 truckloads entered Gaza every working day according to the UN. None of the aid deliveries entering Gaza so far has included fuel, and UNRWA, by far the largest humanitarian provider in Gaza, has almost exhausted its fuel reserves and has therefore begun to reduce operations significantly.”
Beyond the impact the donations will make with Medical Aid for Palestinians, Games for Gaza is a great deal — you get a ton of games for just $10. Squirrel surveillance game Nuts is included in the bundle, as well as Necrosoft Games’ Hyper Gunsport and Wikipedia-based murder mystery Neurocracy 2049. Beyond video games, there are 197 physical and tabletop games, like Everest Pipkin’s The Ground Itself. A couple game soundtracks are available, like the music from Wilmot’s Warehouse.
Back in 2021, the Indie bundle for Palestinian Aid raised almost $1 million for United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which provides food assistance and protections for Palestinians. The aid is essential as the humanitarian crisis continues in East Jerusalem, Gaza, and the West Bank.
The Games for Gaza bundle is available until next week. More than 14,000 people have donated thus far.