WHAT WE DO

Save the Children has worked in the occupied Palestinian territory since 1953, with a permanent presence since 1973. Since then, we have worked with partners to help provide quality education, protection for children, early childhood development support, and employment opportunities for at-risk youth. We also focus on child-centred climate change programming, advocacy and campaigning, on environmental education, community-based adaptation and climate activism. 

We are committed to strengthening the capacities of local partners to promote child rights and to increase the participation of children in the decisions that affect their lives. To support this, we work with governing authorities to help promote an environment where children are protected and their rights are respected. We also support national monitoring and reporting systems to uphold children’s rights at the community, national and international levels. Through our work, we seek to increase the accountability of duty bearers towards children while strengthening the resilience of children, schools and communities in the context of the ongoing occupation. 

When displacement, escalations, and war arise, we are able to quickly mobilise a response. Since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, the situation for children across the occupied Palestinian territory has rapidly deteriorated. Save the Children has scaled up its response team to deliver emergency programming directly and through partners. Our core focus in this response is child protection, cash assistance, health, and nutrition, complemented by critical food security, livelihoods, and emergency education support. 

Our child protection, health and nutrition assistance is provided in child-friendly spaces and primary health care centres through integrated programming that includes protection case management and referrals, mental health and psychosocial support, maternal, newborn and primary paediatric care, water, sanitation, and nutrition support, and informal education, complemented by cash assistance to caregivers.

As a child rights organisation and an active member of the Association of International Development Agencies, Save the Children also supports collective efforts to advocate for reform of policies and practices driving children’s needs across the oPt.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE IN THE OCCUPPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

KEY AREAS OF FOCUS

Amir*, 12, during an activity at Save the Children Child Friendly Space in Gaza

Amir*, 12, lives with his four siblings and mother, Fatema*, 41, in a tent in Gaza. The family's situation has become very dire after the death of the father, a hardworking farmer who was the sole breadwinner of the family. In June 2025, Amir* was injured due to an explosion and broke his feet. He wore casts for two months then started physiotherapy, and he's now on the mend. Save the Children provided Amir* and his family with financial support at the time of the injury. The initial medical care post-surgery was also provided by Save the Children clinic. The family now receives financial support, and Amir* is enrolled in psychosocial and educational sessions at Save the Children’s Child Friendly Space. Save the Children

Child Protection and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS)

SCI delivers integrated child protection and MHPSS programmes to prevent, reduce and respond to risks affecting children and families. We provide safe, inclusive access to quality services in shelters, schools, child‑friendly spaces and communities, while strengthening local protection systems and referral pathways. Working with partners, we offer specialised psychosocial, rehabilitative and vocational support, helping build community‑based protection, resilience and improved child wellbeing.

A child after receiving her school bag and kit from Save the Children

Save the Children distributed school kits to children in Gaza in October 2025. One thousand bags/kits were distributed to children on that day, with the purpose of supporting their learning and helping them feel the familiarity of the back to school time. Save the Children

Education and Learning

Throughout oPt, SCI addresses learning gaps and promotes children’s wellbeing and resilience. SCI is the third-largest provider of temporary learning in Gaza, ensuring children access quality, inclusive education. In our temporary learning spaces, we provide non-formal education and support children, caregivers, and teachers through psychosocial support and recreational activities. We also distribute emergency education kits and provide referrals for children needing MHPSS.

Manar* putting agricultural waste into the animal feed machine

Manar*, 21, studies Local Society Development. She comes from an agricultural family, where their main business is gathering agricultural waste to make into products. She had a project idea at a young age to have a machine to threshed waste in hay to feed animals. The opportunity presented itself at an unexpected time; during the war in Gaza, where Save the Children released the “Adolescents and Youth for a Green Future” project. Manar* applied, her idea got accepted and she received the animal feed machine which has made a shift in her family’s financial situation. Save the Children

Food Security and Livelihoods

SCI delivers life‑saving assistance through food distribution and hot meals, while also working to support household income stability by supporting agricultural livelihoods recovery and the restoration of income‑generating activities (IGAs). We support youth and women entrepreneurship through business development training and mentorship programmes, including training focused on innovative IGAs to enhance sustainability and climate resilience, such as wicking systems, safer farming, hydroponics and biogas interventions.

Noura* and her Daughter Rania* at Save the Children clinic

Rania*, eight months, is a malnourished child from Gaza. Her mother, Noura*, endured a life-threatening shrapnel injury soon after her birth, and had to stay for a while in the hospital after which she was told to stop breastfeeding due to possible health complications. As a result, Rania* got Severe Malnutrition and needed instant intervention. Rania* has been treated for Severe Acute Malnutrition at a Save the Children clinic, where she was provided with peanut paste, medicine and other supplements. Her mother, Noura*, received one-to-one support on nutrition and advice on introducing food to Rania*. Noura* has been receiving support from Save the Children since 2020, when she had a kitchen installed in her house, and has medical and educational support for her older children. Save the Children

Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and Nutrition

SCI strengthens access for children and their families to life‑saving healthcare, including disease prevention, maternal, newborn and child health care, mental well-being promotion and essential medical supplies.  Through our primary health care clinics and nutrition points in Gaza, we prevent and manage malnutrition through early detection, infant and young child feeding (IYCF) support, and timely referral and treatment for acute malnutrition.  We promote positive health and nutrition behaviours by strengthening caregivers’ knowledge, practices and access to counselling services.

Ibrahim*, 60, with his grandchildren in front of the tent where they shelter in Khan Younis, Gaza

Ibrahim*, 60, is a displaced grandfather in Khan Younis, Gaza. Losing his home in the early days of the war was not the only tragedy he endured, as his son, grandson, and great grandson were all killed in front of their home. That situation made Ibrahim the main caregiver for fourteen people, including nine grandchildren, which he says is a tremendous challenge given the lack of income and work opportunities. Ibrahim* says that the cash assistance provided by Save the Children saved his family from hunger, who had to reduce their food intake to only one meal a day. His biggest struggle is access to fresh clean water, where he and his grandchildren have to fill and carry water for 300-400 meters. Save the Children provided Ibrahim* with a bigger tent for his family and cash assistance for five of his grandchildren from his son who was killed early in the war. His grandchildren attend Save the Children’s Child Friendly Spaces where they received case management and MHPSS programming. Shurouq Alaila/ Save the Children

Multi-purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA)

SCI ensures the most vulnerable girls and boys and their caregivers can access essential commodities and services through MPCA. In coordination with the Cash Working Group, which Save the Children co‑leads, we deliver cash assistance to families in need throughout the oPt. In 2025, we ran the largest INGO‑led cash assistance programme in Gaza. In response to anticipated market improvements, we plan to combine MPCA with e‑voucher modalities. This will enable us to provide sector‑specific cash voucher assistance (CVA) and continue services during disruptions affecting cash delivery.

Hussein* helping his youngest son Ayman* to drink water

Hussein* and his family were displaced from Rafah when the Israeli military operation began on the city. They eventually settled in a shelter Save the Children serves in Khan Younis. Lacking an income, Hussein struggled to provide for his family, especially as prices have soared since the siege on Gaza was enforced in March 2025, with bottled water becoming especially expensive. Save the Children’s water trucking programme has been regularly providing clean water, for both household use and drinking, to the shelter Hussein is living in. It has helped reduce the financial burden on him, allowing him to focus on providing other essentials for his growing family. Save the Children

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

We deliver life‑saving emergency water through trucking, bottled water and storage containers, while rehabilitating critical water, wastewater and desalination infrastructure, including climate‑resilient and solar‑powered systems. Our response integrates hygiene promotion  and the distribution of gender‑responsive hygiene and dignity kits, including menstrual hygiene management items. Our WASH services are embedded across education, nutrition and child protection spaces, prioritising safety, dignity and access for displaced and high‑risk populations.

Ziad*, 14, and his friends in a meeting about their initiative in the local club

Over a series of psychosocial support sessions, Save the Children’s partner Nafs Empowerment worked with a group of children to help them express their feelings, cope with daily challenges, and develop a sense of teamwork and belonging. During these sessions, the children came up with a small initiative—setting up a library corner to serve as a safe space for reading and self-expression at a local youth club. They also took care of the club’s entrance, cleaning it and decorating it with flowers and seedlings, making the space more welcoming and beautiful. Save the Children

Child Rights Governance

Working with the Palestinian Government and other relevant stakeholders to ensure the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), through promoting an environment where children are protected and their rights are achieved through legislative and policy changes, and by supporting government priorities for child development.