Ceasefire has not stopped urgent risk to children

Gaza has been destroyed by more than a year of war, leaving 1.9 million people homeless this winter. They are cold and struggling to survive, with little food and drinking disease-carrying water.

Now with a ceasefire announced, more supplies can finally reach children in urgent need. But the scale of humanitarian support required is enormous.

Less than half of Gaza’s hospitals are functional, water production is at less than 25 per cent capacity and nearly all of its 2.1 million people are facing a dangerous lack of food.

Children need immediate help now. 

And with the onset of winter, the threats to children have drastically increased.

Since December, at least eight babies have died from the cold.

Their fragile bodies cannot withstand the freezing conditions in their flooded, flimsy tents. And with temperatures likely to fall further, and more torrential rain on the way, many more will die without urgent help.

Mothers will wake up to find their baby’s skin has turned blue overnight. And with Gaza’s healthcare system almost completely destroyed, there will be little hope of saving them.

UNICEF is providing warm blankets, safe water and food. And with a ceasefire in place, we can scale up desperately needed malnutrition treatment and medical help for new-born babies.

But thousands of children are still at risk. They need much more immediate support if families are to escape the horror of watching their babies suffer from hunger and die from hypothermia.

Bombs, bullets and hunger have already killed at least 14,500 children in Gaza. Your support now can prevent more from dying from cold, hunger and disease.

There isn’t a minute to lose

“I tried to warm her, but I couldn’t. Her body was blue, her nose was bleeding, and she had bitten her tongue” – Nariman 

When Nariman awoke in her freezing tent she was greeted with any parent’s worst nightmare: her baby had turned blue and was frozen from the cold.

Sila had been born two weeks earlier healthy and happy. But she was born into a warzone, with no home, no heating and few clothes. And it was winter.

The night before Sila died, Nariman had breastfed her daughter and tried to keep her warm by hugging her close. But her home is a windy tent in a refugee camp that often floods from torrential rain. Sila suffered a severe drop in her body temperature. Her vital organs shut down, ending her short life. 

Sila had a brother and sister. They are sick and exhausted from the cold. They need immediate help if another tragedy is to be avoided. They and thousands of other children need your help now.

Your support is crucial

Children in Gaza are exhausted, sick, and in the worst cases dying from the cold, hunger and disease.

With little shelter, suitable clothes, or functioning healthcare systems, thousands will struggle to survive.

In Gaza, 67% of water and sanitation infrastructure and 82% of health facilities have been destroyed or damaged.

Thousands of children are now completely reliant on life-saving supplies being sent by people like you.

Thanks to our wonderful supporters, live-saving aid including blankets, food and safe water is reaching children and helping them survive the horror. Our work includes:

• Distributing warm clothes to 150,000 children this winter.
• Treating at least 51,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition.
• Giving humanitarian cash transfers to over 1 million people, allowing them to buy essential items such as cooking fuel from the extremely limited supplies available in local markets.
• Providing access to safe water for more than 1 million children at risk from deadly diseases.

Despite these efforts, thousands more people need ongoing, urgent help. Right now, children in Gaza face suffering and death. They need your help now. 

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How you can make a difference in Gaza right now

UNICEF is on the ground in Gaza providing life-saving blankets, food and safe water to children in urgent need.  

• €100 can provide thermal blankets to keep 17 children warm and protect them from the cold.

• €150 can provide life-saving food to help treat 15 children for severe acute malnutrition, saving their lives.

• €250 you can provide enough water to ensure 50 families have safe, clean water for two months. 

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