Editing YMCA (section)

==== Gaza ====
[[File:Jean Henri Dunant.jpg|thumb|[[Henry Dunant]]]]

In 1952, the YMCA in [[Gaza City]] was started with the support of the [[Egypt]] YMCA, and was a branch of the Egypt YMCA until 1967, when the [[Gaza Strip]] fell under [[Israel]]’s control following the [[Six-Day War]]. Since then, Gaza YMCA has not been associated with any national organization. YMCA Gaza has five major departments: sports, arts, welfare, preschool, and youth. The youth department consists of approximately 80 youth leaders between the ages of 15 and 25 years old.

Despite having a strong Christian identity, the YMCA in Gaza is well respected in the Muslim community. The majority of YMCA attendees are Muslim. The staff are both Muslim and Christian, and the elected board is 100% Christian to balance inclusiveness without losing the YMCA’s Christian identity. The YMCA teaches youth about [[religious tolerance]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-11-16 |title=Occupied Palestinian territory: Report from the International YMCA-YWCA Observer: No. 17 - Gaza - why do you want to go there? - occupied Palestinian territory {{!}} ReliefWeb |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/occupied-palestinian-territory-report-international-ymca-ywc-0 |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=reliefweb.int |language=en}}</ref> In 2021, Gaza's YMCA served 1,800 youth.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-07-12 |title=YMCA Gaza: thriving beyond despair |url=https://www.ymca.int/ymca-gaza-thriving-beyond-despair/ |access-date=2024-01-19 |website=World YMCA |language=en-US}}</ref>

In October, November, and December of 2023, the YMCA in Gaza was used as a shelter for hundreds of people from the attacks on Gaza by Israel. On the 17th of December, the building was bombarded and destroyed by Israel, with reports of wounded and killed civilians. The next day, the World YMCA posted a response saying, 
“The World YMCA strongly condemns this horrific attack on civilians and calls on the Israeli government to stop its acts of indiscriminate violence which can only deepen division and which are causing such trauma. Violence begets violence. End it now.”<ref name="YMCA">{{cite web |title=YMCA building in Gaza City hit |url=https://www.ymca.int/ymca-gaza-is-hit/ |website=World YMCA |access-date=18 Dec 2023}}</ref>