Children of Gaza Crisis

EMERGENCY UPDATE - 6th April, 2025.

Nowhere is safe in the Gaza Strip. One million children, traumatised by more than 17 months of war, are now being deprived of critical life-saving aid.

For over a month, no aid has been allowed into Gaza. This has lead to shortages of food, safe water, shelter and medical supplies. Without these essentials - diseases, malnutrition and other preventable conditions affecting children will surge.

We have aid stockpiled at the border, which we're ready to deliver and distribute once we're allowed in to Gaza.

In the meantime, despite the extremely challenging situation, UNICEF is keeping a critical presence in Gaza. We're providing neonatal healthcare and have distributed 21 respiratory machines to save the lives of 150 newborns. We've increased access to drinking water, have provided RUCF (Ready-to-Use Complimentary Food) to 7,800 kids, and have reunited 300 children with their families after they became separated during the displacement and recent airstrikes.

It's horrifying that the fighting in Gaza continues and we urge all parties to reinstate the ceasefire immediately.

Since the conflict escalated in October 2023, children and families in Gaza have experienced the unimaginable horror of war. Homes, schools, communities and dreams have been reduced to rubble. Severe shortages of essential food, water, and medicine have created a humanitarian crisis on the brink of catastrophe.  

Now’s the time to show your support for Gaza, when it's needed most.

Please support kids in Gaza by making a life-saving donation today.   

Right now, over 3.3 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, including more than 1.5 million children. The war has already cost children so much pain and suffering – reportedly leaving at least 14,770 dead, thousands more injured and nearly one million kids displaced from their homes.  

This is a crucial time for us to act.

We've reached hundreds of thousands of children with therapeutic food, clean water, medical supplies and sanitation and hygiene services. Our staff continue to be on the ground working tirelessly to ensure children and families receive the critical supplies and services they need.  

Please help us continue to be there for children and families in Gaza.

How Can My Donation Make A Difference?

A donation of $51 could provide 10 collapsible water containers and 2,800 water purification tablets to protect kids from waterborne disease.

A donation of $90 could provide 150 packets of ready-to-use therapeutic food to save the lives of kids suffering from malnutrition.

A donation of $119 could provide 1,000 polio vaccines and 2x vaccine carriers to transport them at the right temperature to protect kids from this deadly disease.

A donation of $247 could provide a School-in-a-box Kit with enough learning materials for 40 displaced children to keep up their education. 

How's UNICEF responding in Gaza?

A lasting ceasefire is vital for saving children’s lives.

We have critical emergency supplies stockpiled at the border, ready to deliver for children and their families. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to enter and move freely across Gaza. \

Since October 2023, UNICEF has reached one in three people in Gaza with humanitarian supplies and services.

We've provided safe drinking water to 2.9 million people; critical water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) supplies to 638,390 people and medical supplies for more than 250,000 people.

We've provided psychosocial support services to over 314,000 people in Gaza, including more than 208,000 children. More than 210,000 kids have received learning materials and support to continue their schooling. And we've delivered humanitarian cash assistance to 375,692 households.

A ceasefire agreement is a critical first step, but it must be upheld. It is imperative that parties fully adhere to the ceasefire and the desperately needed aid allowed in.  

We were on the ground in Gaza long before this crisis escalated a year ago, and we continue to deliver for kids in the most challenging of humanitarian situations. We will never give up on children in Gaza.  

Polio has reemerged in Gaza

A huge concern right now is children’s health and the deadly threat from polio, which has reemerged in Gaza after 25 years. As the sole provider of vaccines for children in Gaza, we're stepping up to protect children from this horrific disease.

Right now, we're undertaking a large-scale polio vaccination campaign. We need 1.6 million polio vaccines, vaccine carriers to transport the life-saving cargo and cold-chain equipment to keep the vaccines at the right temperature to protect kids.

In September last year, around 560 000 children (under ten years old) received their first round of vaccinations against polio. And in November, we completed the second round of the vaccination campaign, reaching 556,774 kids. We've achieved 94% vaccine coverage across the target population, which will help to stop the outbreak and prevent it spreading across the region.

Other ways you can donate

If you'd like to donate over the phone, call our friendly team on 0800 243 575.

If you'd like to donate direct to our bank account, please use account 01-0505-0463764-00 and the code 'gaza-ws'.

Other ways to support kids in Gaza:

Help us spread awareness of the situation for kids in Gaza by sharing this appeal with your friends and family. 

If you'd like to fundraise with your community to support our work, you can start a fundraiser here.

Groundbreaking 3D print prosthetics

A groundbreaking project to 3D-print prosthetic limbs for war-injured children in Gaza is being launched by UNICEF, thanks to funding from FIANZ (The Federation of the Islamic Association of New Zealand).

Funding of more than quarter of a million dollars from the collaboration between FIANZ and UNICEF has allowed a pilot to launch with the planning of a production facility in Jordan to ‘print’ desperately needed prosthetics for Gaza and the wider region.

Gaza currently has the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world. Over 23 000 children have sustained conflict-related injuries, and many thousands are facing disabilities and needing long-term rehabilitation.

“This project directly addresses the physical and emotional well-being of children, alongside providing a tangible way to restore hope and dignity,” said FIANZ president Ibrar Shaikh, whose organisation has a focus on improving the lives of children, who are often the most affected by conflict.