Children of Gaza Crisis

Famine Confirmed in Gaza

On 22nd August, for the first time, famine has been confirmed in Gaza. More than 500,000 children and their families are trapped in conditions marked by widespread starvation, destitution and preventable deaths.

The deteriorating conditions in Gaza have reached famine thresholds, according to a new IPC alert. This is the first time a famine has been officially confirmed in the Middle East.

Almost two years of conflict, repeated displacement, and severe restrictions on humanitarian access, compounded by repeated interruptions and impediments to food access, water, medical aid and the collapse of health, sanitation, and market systems, have pushed people into starvation.

UNICEF is calling for an immediate ceasefire and safe, sustained humanitarian access to deliver prepositioned therapeutic food and save children's lives. You can help by donating now.

We need to act quickly, as famine conditions are projected to spread from Gaza Governorate to Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis Governorates in the coming weeks.

Children and families facing famine need your help today. Please support them by making a life-saving donation today.

Since October 2023, the lives of children in Gaza have been punctuated relentlessly by destruction and death. 17,000 children have reportedly been killed, that's 28 per day for almost two years, and 33,000 injured. Meanwhile, every child in Gaza has been exposed to ongoing trauma, displacement and deprived of the essentials, including food, water, and healthcare.

Right now, 1.7 million children are in need of humanitarian assistance to survive.

For 11 weeks from mid-March, a blockade halted humanitarian aid access to Gaza. In that time, malnutrition rates have soared, food prices have sky-rocketed up to 700% and the threat of famine looms large. Access to healthcare has dropped significantly, with none of the 38 hospitals in Gaza fully operational, and only 2,000 hospital beds left for over 2 million people.

Almost 2 million people have been displaced from their homes in Gaza and the West Bank.

95 per cent of schools in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, creating an education crisis for 658,000 children who've been out of school for nearly two years.

Despite the challenging security situation and limited humanitarian access, UNICEF staff and partners remain present on the ground in Gaza. Our teams won't give up on reaching the children who need us most.

The support and supplies we're providing includes therapeutic food and infant formula, vitamin A supplements, hygiene kits, hygiene promotion, training health workers, water trucking, fuel to keep critical services running, soap, jerrycans, tarpaulins, mental health and psychosocial support, educational support and humanitarian cash transfers.

How Can My Donation Make A Difference?

Whilst humanitarian access is difficult, we can't just forget about children in Gaza.

Since mid-May, authorities have permitted a small number of UN supplies to enter Gaza. An average of 30 UN trucks per day have been able to deliver aid at designated crossings - this includes UNICEF nutrition products, water treatment supplies and vaccines. However, it's nowhere near enough.

Children continue to need our support and with your help UNICEF is taking any and all opportunities to reach them. Your donation today will help bring hope, and practical supplies and services to those most in need.

A donation of $42 could provide vaccines to protect 56 children against deadly measles.

A donation of $54 could provide 105 packets of ready-to-use therapeutic food to treat kids suffering from malnutrition.

A donation of $102 could provide 20 collapsible water containers and 5,600 water purification tablets to protect kids from waterborne diseases.

A donation of $119 could provide 1,000 polio vaccines and 2x vaccine carriers to protect kids against this deadly disease.

A donation of $150 could provide two families with emergency water and sanitation kits.

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

How's UNICEF responding in Gaza?

Since the beginning of 2025, UNICEF has reached more than 2 million people with humanitarian supplies and support.

We've provided safe drinking water to 2 million people; critical water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) supplies to 910,745 people and priary health-care for 427,735 women and children.

We've provided mental health and psychosocial support services to over 194,000 children, adolescents and caregivers in Gaza. More than 133,000 kids have received learning materials and support to continue their schooling. And we've delivered humanitarian cash assistance to 380,000 people.

UNICEF continues to call for an immediate and lasting ceasefire that will protect kids from further harm and allow the desperately needed aid into Gaza.

We were on the ground in Gaza long before this crisis escalated more than 21 months ago, and we continue to deliver for kids in the most challenging of humanitarian situations. We will never give up on children in Gaza.  

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.