WESTPORT, Conn. (Jan. 9, 2009) — Save the Children is reiterating its call for free and effective access for humanitarian assistance in Gaza so that aid agencies may provide much-needed relief to increasingly vulnerable children and so that their families can access essential services.
 
Yesterday the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) demanded immediate access to the wounded in Gaza, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) announced that it was suspending activities there, highlighting the dangerous operating environment for humanitarian work.

"With every passing day of this conflict, the vulnerability of children in and around Gaza increases," said Annie Foster, Save the Children's team leader for the emergency. "Humanitarian agencies must be able to reach children and families in need. Two weeks have passed with children living under extreme duress."

Save the Children is striving to meet the needs of an increasingly vulnerable population in north and southern Gaza. Over the last six days, the agency has delivered life-saving food supplies to some 9,500 people, including 4,700 children, despite a worsening security situation.

Save the Children is calling for a peaceful solution to the current crisis that endangers the lives of nearly every child in Gaza, and the lives of Israeli children in areas subject to attacks. Save the Children is calling for a cessation of hostilities by all parties including air and ground assaults from Israel and rocket attacks from Gaza.

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Save the Children (www.savethechildren.org) is the leading, independent organization creating lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. For more than 75 years, Save the Children has worked to improve the lives of children and their families through programs in health, education and economic opportunities, and during times of crisis and conflict. Save the Children USA is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, a global network of 27 independent Save the Children organizations working to ensure the well-being and protection of children in more than 100 countries.