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Almost 50% of Israelis joined volunteer activities in the first days of the war in Gaza after the massive attack on 7 October 2023. This is according to a survey conducted by the Israeli Council of Volunteers, The Jerusalem Post reports.
However, according to the study, a month after the conflict started, the level of participation in volunteer activities dropped to 28.7%, and now, 14 months later, it is only 15%.
Level of engagement and main motivations
Of those who volunteered, 10% did so on a daily basis, and another 38% did so more than once a week. Volunteer activity reached all segments of Israeli society.
In the first weeks of the war, middle-aged people were the most active volunteers. A higher level of involvement was observed among people with academic education (48%) and those with above-average income (51.7%).
Among spontaneous volunteers who had not previously participated in such initiatives, there were more secular citizens (29.9%) than religious (19.9%) or traditional (22.2%).
Almost 90.2% of volunteers said that their main motivation was the desire to help others and concern for the welfare of citizens.
Areas of volunteering
The largest proportion of volunteers, almost half, were involved in the collection, packaging and distribution of food and humanitarian aid. Around a fifth helped with the transport of food and equipment, and the same number supported the security forces.
Other volunteers worked in the areas of social assistance, supported evacuees, cared for vulnerable groups and helped families of reservists.
Volunteering in times of war
Ronit Bar, Director General of the Israeli Volunteer Council, noted that the massive involvement of citizens in volunteering and informal initiatives played a key role in providing support during the war.
“Unlike typical crisis situations in the world, even in Israel, these initiatives continued not only in the initial phase of the emergency, but many of them remained active throughout the war,” Bar said.
This wave of civic engagement became an important element in mobilising society and demonstrated its ability to self-organise in the face of conflict.
