Gaza conflict: children in need of lifesaving support

For the most up to date information, visit the SoP Nutrition Cluster webpage on Reliefweb

Hundreds of thousands of children and families are caught in a catastrophic situation.  

Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas on Earth where more than 2 million people have been living under siege for 16 years with restricted access to basic necessities. The escalation of hostilities on 7 October have led to the disruption of delivery of fuel, food, water, medicine, and humanitarian assistance to Gaza strip, creating a deadly combination, and exacerbating an already fragile nutrition situation. 

Before this renewed violence, 1 million children were in need of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem – almost half the child population. In the Gaza Strip, more than 816,000 children were identified in need of mental health and psychosocial support following six rounds of armed conflict since 2008 and daily protection issues. This is compounded by the dire socio-economic and humanitarian situation, particularly that for children – resulting in increased vulnerabilities and a noticeable deterioration in the quality of people’s lives.

Since the latest war began on October 7, thousands of people have reportedly been killed, and around 1.4 million people have been forced to flee their homes. An estimated 650,000 displaced persons are in UN-designated shelters, and around 120,000 are in non-UN facilities in need of urgent assistance. There are still around 700,000 people seeking shelter, including vulnerable families who cannot safely access any shelters or other public buildings.

UNICEF and its partners have been on the ground in the Gaza Strip since the beginning, providing immediate humanitarian support. But the needs are enormous. This requires an immediate ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access, which includes access for humanitarian aid workers.

GNC information

Partner call presentation - 7 November

GNC Joint Statement on IFE

Key information from partners

UPDATE: Nutrition Vulnerability Report (March 2024)

SoP IYCF-E joint statement 

SOP Nutrition coordination meeting presentation

Nutrition Coordination -State of Palestine Infographic

Flash Appeal (6 November) - OCHA

Forecasting Wasting Burden - UNICEF

OCHA Situation Report (6 November)

UNRWA Situation Report (3-4 November)

Listen here to UNICEF's health officer, Fairouz, speaking from the Gaza Strip about the situation on the ground. 

Flash appeal (12 October) in English and Arabic (Reliefweb) - The Flash Appeal calls for approximately US $ 294 million for 77 humanitarian partners to address the most urgent needs of 1,260,000 people in the Gaza Strip (Gaza) and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Click here to read more from UNICEF, including its recent appeal "Children in Gaza desperately need lifesaving support"

Click here to read the WASH Clusters advocacy note: People in Gaza Need Water. Now.