The announcement of a pause in hostilities offers a moment of hope for children and families in Gaza. But while it provides a brief respite, it is not enough.
What does the pause in hostilities mean for children in Gaza?
The announcement of a pause in hostilities offers a moment of hope for children and families in Gaza. But while it provides a brief respite, it is not enough.
A definitive and lasting ceasefire is the only way to ensure that Palestinian children are provided with the peace and protection, the fulfilment of their rights, and so that we can support the immediate needs of children and their families to help them rebuild.
Every day without a definitive ceasefire risks more lives.
What are children in Gaza experiencing right now?
Children in Gaza are terrified. While a long-term ceasefire remains in the balance after two years of relentless violence, they live in constant fear of bombs, hunger, disease, and losing loved ones. Many have lost their homes and families.
Over 20,000 children have been killed, and countless others are suffering from malnutrition, trauma, and life-altering injuries.
The healthcare system in Gaza has been decimated during hostilities. Children in Gaza are also now in their third year of missing out on school.
This is a crisis that will have long-term, irreversible impacts on children’s physical and mental development
What needs to happen next for children in Gaza?
- This pause in hostilities must become an immediate and definitive ceasefire. It is the only way to save lives in Gaza and end grave violations of children’s rights.
- The needs and interests of Palestinian children must be at the heart of any agreement for the future of the occupied Palestinian territory, including the Gaza Strip.
- There must be a consistent and significant increase in the flow of aid into and across Gaza.
The pause in hostilities is just the start. The urgency now is to open more crossings so that we can provide shelter, water, food and medical supplies to hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza who have lost their homes and loved ones. Children and their families are struggling daily to survive with the shadow of famine hanging over Gaza and the entry, and the delivery of humanitarian aid is heavily restricted.
Every child should have access to the essential humanitarian aid and services they need to survive and thrive. The denial of humanitarian aid is a crime and a grave violation against children. Humanitarians need to be able to deliver aid, and families must be able to receive it – safely and quickly, without obstructions.
Aid is a right, not a bargaining chip and must be provided in accordance with needs, not politics. Children need food, clean water, shelter, medical care, and mental health support. They also need to return to school, not just for learning, but for safety, routine, and hope.
Eyad AlTawil / Save the Children Eyad AlTawil / Save the Children
How is Save the Children supporting children and their families in Gaza?
Save the Children is one of the largest organisations working in Gaza and we’ve been working there for decades. Alongside local partners, we are delivering lifesaving services to children and families across the occupied Palestinian territory, including in Gaza and the West Bank.
To continue doing that, we need the access and funding to ensure aid flows at the scale and pace needed to address growing needs for children and their families.
With the current reprieve and potential lasting ceasefire on the horizon, this funding is more crucial than ever to enable us to scale up our support for families.
Against unimaginable odds, the Save the Children team has been working tirelessly to respond to the devastating scale of humanitarian needs in Gaza since the war began and has provided lifesaving support and aid to 1.6 million people in Gaza, over half of whom are children. We will continue operating in Gaza to provide essential health and nutrition, child protection, education and water and hygiene services.
Save the Children staff in Egypt prepare supplies for Gaza
What will Save the Children do if the ceasefire holds?
We stand ready to scale-up and adapt our response to ensure that we can support and deliver life-saving supplies and treatment to more children who desperately need it, wherever they are in Gaza. To be able to do that, a sustained surge in lifesaving humanitarian aid must be allowed to enter Gaza.
We’re currently running health clinics, nutrition points, water and sanitation services, child protection programmes including mental health support and case management, education in temporary learning spaces, and cash transfer programmes to support families whose livelihoods have been decimated.
We’ve got supplies ready to go in Egypt as soon as we’re granted access, including 10,000 hygiene kits and lifesaving medical items.
With additional funding and access, we will be able to bring in more essential items, including shelter and winter kits, as well as cash provisions for families to buy whatever they need. In the hope that markets will begin to recover, this cash support is more vital than ever.
We will also expand the essential services that we’re already running, particularly scaling up our water trucking to get safe drinking water to families, as well as our nutrition support, including treating and screening more children and families for malnutrition.
Eyad AlTawil / Save the Children Eyad AlTawil / Save the Children
What can I do to help children in Gaza?
Save the Children is one of the largest organisations working in Gaza. We have the experience, the partnerships, and the commitment to deliver aid safely and effectively. But we can’t do it alone.
Your support helps us provide safe spaces for children to play and heal, deliver food and clean water, repair schools, and advocate for children’s rights. Every donation helps us reach more children with the care and protection they urgently need.
Raise awareness
You can share this article with family and friends or follow Save the Children International on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and X and raise awareness on the situation for children in Gaza.
