CHILDREN IN GAZA: THEY NEED US MORE THAN EVER!!!!

Palestinian children are bearing the brunt of the war in Gaza.

• Gaza’s children face war, starvation, trauma and the loss of education.
• Severe restrictions are preventing the adequate delivery of aid.

Children in Gaza are living through one of the world’s most urgent humanitarian crises. For nearly two years, they have faced bombardment, hunger and displacement as they bear the brunt of the war. Thousands of children have been killed, and many more are living with life-changing injuries and severe mental trauma.

More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since war erupted on October 7, 2023, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which bases its figures on Gaza Health Ministry statistics. Nearly half of the identified fatalities are women and children.

The children of Gaza urgently need a ceasefire and a massive increase in humanitarian aid. Current restrictions on food, water and medical supplies are costing lives every day.

Children have not been spared in the war in Gaza. The conflict has killed thousands and there are verified reports of children dying from starvation and disease. Many children have suffered life-changing injuries and are missing out on more than an entire year of education.

Hunger levels have reached alarming heights, with famine conditions being met in parts of Gaza. The Government of Israel’s blockade of aid has created a crisis: Bakeries are shuttered, food prices have skyrocketed 700% and nearly a third of Gaza’s population goes entire days without eating.

Even before the current escalation, more than one million Palestinian children needed mental health and psychological support. Today, every child in Gaza has been exposed to deeply distressing events—losing loved ones, witnessing violence and enduring constant fear.

At least 17,0000 children are now unaccompanied or separated from their parents. These children face heightened risks of child labor, exploitation, neglect, starvation and lasting mental trauma.

The mental trauma endured by Gaza’s children will affect an entire generation. Caregivers and aid workers report that children are in shock, clinging to others during loud noises and seeking safety by sleeping under beds.

All children have the fundamental right to education. In Gaza, that right has almost completely vanished. At least 658,0000 school-age children have lost access to all formal learning activities as most schools are being used as shelters. In addition, nearly 90% of schools have been damaged and will require major repairs or full reconstruction before they can reopen.

For Palestinian children, education is a lifeline. It reduces the risk of child labor, trafficking, and early marriage—harms that disproportionately impact girls and undermine children’s protection and well-being.

Children in Gaza need safety, protection and immediate humanitarian aid. A ceasefire is the best way to fully protect Palestinian lives, secure the release of hostages, and safely scale up humanitarian assistance and service delivery. All parties must take the steps to uphold international law and protect children.

1. Approximately 28 children are being killed daily in Gaza due to the ongoing Israeli bombardments and its restrictions on the delivery of direly needed humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations.
2. Death by bombardments. Death by malnutrition and starvation. Death by lack of aid and vital services. Children in Gaza are in urgent need of food, clean water, medicine and protection.
3. Israel has killed more than 18,000 children – one child every hour – since the start of its genocidal war on Gaza. At least 60,933 Palestinians have been killed and 150,027 others wounded since October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel.
4. Under international law, children supposed to be spared the effects of war, but  in Gaza, these children have suffered the most under Israel’s military campaign. Schools deliberately targeted, water facilities destroyed, food supplies systematically blocked. And the fundamental rights of childhood … education, play, proper nutrition … have been weaponized against an entire generation.
5. Gaza is a graveyard for children today and for their dreams. This is an inescapable living nightmare for every child in Gaza … This is a generation that is growing up thinking that the world has abandoned them, that the world has turned its back on them.