DONATE TO HELP CHILDREN IN GAZA

The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry, an investigative body established by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, has published two separate reports concluding that the Government of Israel has been committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has until now observed that there is a plausible risk of genocide being committed in Gaza by the Government of Israel.

Save the Children is a humanitarian organization, not a legal body. The COI has documented the same patterns of harm our staff witness and children tell us about, concluding that Israeli authorities and security forces have committed genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza, and war crimes in the West Bank.

The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The latest UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) report concluded that children in the occupied Palestinian territory have been subjected to deliberate, systematic harm at the hands of the Israeli authorities and security forces.  

They are being targeted and deprived of the conditions needed to survive, with impacts that will last for generations. This is reinforced by a concerning rhetoric from political leaders and military personnel that dehumanize children, including statements portraying them as “terrorists.” The COI warns that this rhetoric contributes to an environment in which violence against children is normalized, justified and carried out with impunity.

Without concrete steps toward accountability and adherence to international law, Palestinian children will continue to be deprived of their rights and safety. Member states have a responsibility according to the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s 2024 Advisory Opinion to not recognize or assist in the maintenance of Israel’s unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, including by suspending all arms transfers to Israel. Only an end to the occupation can create the conditions for lasting peace and protection for children. They must also take all possible steps to hold perpetrators accountable for atrocities and grave violations against Palestinian children across the occupied Palestinian territory.

Malnutrition is preventable, and it is treatable. We know how to save children’s lives. But that requires sustained access to:

• Nutritious food
• Medical care
• Specialized supplements

Unfortunately, severe acute malnutrition is a life-threatening condition, in which children’s bodies are so malnourished they are experiencing wasting. With timely intervention, children’s bodies can stabilize. This requires medical care and fortified foods. Without quick and sufficient treatment, severe acute malnutrition can result in permanent developmental harm to a child and even death.

Save the Children is delivering health and nutrition services, including early detection and management of child and maternal malnutrition, as well as providing targeted supplementary feeding programs.

Children’s mental health in Gaza has been pushed beyond breaking point. According to data from UNFPA, over one million children in Gaza require mental health and psychosocial support, with 96% of children feeling death is imminent and high rates of PTSD, depression and anxiety among adolescents. Girls are facing sharp resurgence in child marriage, driven by displacement, poverty and the collapse of livelihoods. Children have suffered unimaginable mental harm from the violence, serious physical injuries, and the loss of families, homes, and their schools.

The latest UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) warns that Palestinian children have been stripped of any sense of safety and future, producing profound and intergenerational psychological harm that will endure long after the violence ends.

One year after the October 2025 “ceasefire” came into effect, little has changed for many families. The agreement has not translated into meaningful protection for children, who continue living with fear and uncertainty as a constant part of daily life.

More than 300 children have been killed in Gaza since a “ceasefire” agreement last October.

Since the “ceasefire” agreement was announced, there has been a slight uptick in humanitarian and commercial supplies entering Gaza, but aid volumes remain far below the 600 trucks per day envisioned under the agreement, a figure that itself would still fall short of the scale of need.

Children in Gaza cannot afford another lost year. Palestinian children need a definitive ceasefire, access to education, healthcare, nutrition, protection services and safe spaces now.

All 1.5 million school-aged children in the occupied Palestinian territory are unable to access a safe and quality education for a fourth consecutive academic year.

Nearly three years since violence escalated in Gaza, almost all school buildings (97.5%) are damaged while 86% of 649 kindergartens assessed have either been destroyed, sustained damage, or are located in inaccessible areas. In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, more than 834,000 school-aged children do not have access to safe and quality education.

“For Palestinian children, schools are places of learning, protection, psychosocial support, and social development. Their loss has profound consequences for children’s wellbeing, cognitive development, and future life chances.”
Ahmad Alhendawi, Save the Children’s Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe

Since October 2023, Save the Children has reached nearly all children in Gaza (1,148,483 children). 

In 2026, as of July 22, Save the Children provided lifesaving support to over 275,000 people across Gaza, including over 136,000 children. 

As of August 16, we’re directly and through partners running two health clinics in Gaza, 15 nutrition points, and water and sanitation services (52 hygiene promotion sites, 75 water trucking sites, 43 sanitation facilities, and 32 solid waste management points). 

We’re also running child protection programs including mental health support and case management at 18 sites, education in 60 temporary learning spaces, and cash transfer programs to support families whose livelihoods have been decimated.

Your support can save lives. Donations help us:

• Deliver food and medical care to malnourished children
• Keep our clinics open and staff on the ground
• Continue advocating for a definitive ceasefire and safe humanitarian access