Over 3.3 million people, including 1.7 million children have continued to suffer in the midst of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. On January 15, 2025, the announcement of a ceasefire deal signaled a critical first step in ending more than a year of bombardment and deprivation for children in the Gaza Strip.
The scale of humanitarian needs of the population in Gaza is enormous. A lasting ceasefire and support from the international community is vital to allow aid and commercial supplies to finally enter all parts of the Gaza Strip.
Less than half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are functional, increasing the risk of infectious disease outbreaks and putting children at risk. Water production is at less than 25 percent capacity. Nearly all of the territory’s 2.1 million people are facing high levels of food insecurity. And 95 percent of Gaza’s school buildings have been damaged or destroyed.
UNICEF is on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank to address the humanitarian needs of children and their families. On the first day of the ceasefire, 629 UNICEF trucks entered the Gaza Strip with water, nutrition items, hygiene kits, warm clothes and other critical humanitarian aid.
In 2024, UNICEF:
- Supported 253,372 people through UNICEF-delivered medical supplies
- Provided 70,726 children with micronutrient powder
- Increased access to water for drinking and domestic needs for 2.6 million people
- Provided 314,183 children and caregivers with emergency and child protection services including psycho-social support
- Provided 64,732 children access to formal or non-formal education including early learning
- Reached 463,136 people with UNICEF-funded humanitarian cash transfers
- Vaccinated 559,161 children under 10 through UNICEF’s Gaza polio vaccination campaign
With your support, UNICEF can continue to deliver critical support to children and families in the State of Palestine.
