Children in Gaza need humanitarian aid and protection
UNICEF is on the ground providing life-saving assistance to children and their families.
- Ελληνικά
- English
The escalation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip is having a devastating impact on children and their families. Thousands of children have been killed and thousands more injured. More than 1.9 million people in the Gaza Strip are estimated to be internally displaced - half of them children. They lack sufficient access to water, food, fuel and medicine. Their homes have been destroyed, their families have been torn apart.
“In all wars it is children who suffer first and suffer most.”
Even wars have rules. No child should be cut off from essential services, nor fall from the reach of humanitarian hands. No child should be held hostage or used by any means in armed conflict. Hospitals and schools must be protected from bombings, and they must not be used for military purposes, in accordance with international humanitarian law. The cost to children and their communities of this violence will be borne out for generations to come.
How is UNICEF helping children in the Gaza Strip?
UNICEF continues to be on the frontline focusing on the critical needs of children for protection and humanitarian assistance - but access remains difficult and dangerous.
Together with our partners, we have sent emergency supplies such as water, life-saving medicines and equipment, but much more is needed to meet the huge needs of civilians.
UNICEF’s response includes:
- Supporting water trucking to shelters and the distribution of bottled water.
- Providing water containers, chlorine tablets for water purification and fuel to operate water wells, desalination plants and trucking, distributing family hygiene kits and hundreds of thousands of bars of soap.
- Delivering emergency medical supplies to hospitals and health facilities, including supplies for newborns, kits for midwives, kits to treat acute watery diarrhoea and other life-saving medicines.
- Supporting basic mental health and psychosocial activities in some shelters.
- Delivering a range of essential nutrition supplies including, amongst other essentials, high energy biscuits for children under the age of 5 and micronutrient supplementation for children and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
- Supporting recreational activities, including for children with disabilities, across various communities, camps and shelters.
- Focusing on providing blankets, tents and warm clothes as winter impacts the Gaza Strip.
- Providing humanitarian cash support for the most vulnerable households to meet basic needs.
Children in Gaza need life-saving support – every minute counts.
What is UNICEF calling for?
To respond to the situation for children in Israel and the State of Palestine, UNICEF is calling for:
-
An immediate and long-lasting humanitarian ceasefire.
-
Safe and unrestricted humanitarian access to and within the Gaza Strip to reach affected populations wherever they are, including in the north. All access crossings must be opened including for sufficient fuel and materials needed to run and rehabilitate essential infrastructure and commercial supplies. Safe movement for humanitarian workers and supplies across the Gaza Strip must be guaranteed and reliable telecommunications networks made available to coordinate response efforts.
-
The immediate, safe and unconditional release of all abducted children, and an end to any grave violations against all children, including killing and maiming of children.
-
Respect and protection for civilian infrastructure such as shelters and schools, and health, electric, water, sanitation and telecommunications facilities, to prevent loss of civilian and children’s lives, outbreaks of diseases, and to provide care to the sick and wounded. All parties to the conflict must respect international humanitarian law.
-
Urgent medical cases in Gaza to be able to safely access critical health services or be allowed to leave, and for injured or sick children evacuated to be accompanied by family members.
UNICEF continues to press world leaders on every occasion for humanitarian access to the whole of Gaza.
