Children, pregnant women and the elderly remain the most vulnerable

Nearly one-third of the population of Palestine was food insecure before this conflict in Gaza. Today stocks in shops are nearly exhausted and bakeries are closing, while tens of thousands of people are displaced and unable to cook or safely purchase food. They need urgent help to survive the crisis.

A first, but limited, shipment of life-saving humanitarian supplies entered Gaza on October 21. But it is only a small beginning and far from enough.

In times of such crises, children hurt the most

Large parts of Gaza’s infrastructure, including critical water and sanitation systems, have been reduced to rubble in nearly two weeks of escalating violence.

Nearly 2.3 million residents in Gaza are now surviving on 3 litres of water per person per day, far below the minimum emergency threshold of 15 litres per person per day.

Hospitals are on the brink of collapse, posing a severe threat to healthcare services for the sick and wounded. An estimated 50,000 pregnant women face dramatic challenges in obtaining prenatal and maternity care due to mobility risks, halted facilities, and shortages of essential supplies.

About a million people are displaced, around half of them children, and many have taken shelter in overcrowded shelters with extremely limited access to water, sanitation, and hygiene – conditions that are especially dangerous for young children.

Time is running out for the children of Gaza and they are in urgent need of safe and sustained access to water, food, health, and fuel necessary to enable essential services. 

The needs are pressing, and your assistance can bring critical relief to those in distress.

Situation of Gaza in numbers 

1.3 Million people in need

Nearly 1.3 Million

people in need

displaced

Nearly 1 Million

people forced to flee their homes

1 million children in need

Nearly 1 Million

children affected in the Gaza Strip

What is UNICEF doing in the Gaza Strip?

UNICEF response will continue to focus on responding to the needs of around one million children currently facing an urgent and pressing need for protection and humanitarian assistance. Unless we can provide humanitarian supplies consistently, we face the real threat of life-threatening disease outbreaks.

Since the escalation started, UNICEF has responded with the provision of 50,000 litres of fuel and water treatment chemicals which have benefited up to 800,000 people including 408,000 children. The UNICEF-supported desalination plant is the only one still functioning in the Gaza Strip.

Despite the challenges, since 7 October, in the Gaza Strip UNICEF has released all prepositioned medical supplies including drugs (antibiotics and IV fluids) to the Ministry of Health (MoH) to strengthen the healthcare system response, benefitting 1,600 people.

In the West Bank, UNICEF has delivered to MoH eight medicine kits serving 80,000 for three months, in addition to 50 consumable kits serving 50,000 for three months. UNICEF actively collaborates with the Ministry of Health and the Health Cluster to secure additional resources and contributions to address the escalating needs.

UNICEF has prepositioned additional emergency supplies for up to 250,000 people at the Rafah crossing that can be brought into Gaza in a matter of hours, with more enroute.

But the need is immense and continuously increasing. We need your help to reach more children and their families.

Please donate to send help urgent aid to Gaza and wider State of Palestine.

Disclaimer:  
*Donations received will be used to fund UNICEF’s response for children and families in Gaza with 10% of total donations going towards responding to the urgent needs of many more children and families facing the most challenging situations elsewhere in the world. Your donation today will help us be there for every child, even those living with very little to no support.
**As a United Nations entity enjoying privileges and immunities enshrined in the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, UNICEF does not have a tax registration number in any country because it is not subject to tax on its income in any jurisdiction and because it is not subject to the jurisdiction of any national authority, including any tax authority.
***Please note that the stories of children mentioned (if any) and price point descriptions are to illustrate activities and the change that your donation can make to the lives of vulnerable children. UNICEF, based on the need on the ground, will allocate resources to areas that need funds the most.