This Ramadan in Gaza, There Will be No Dates to Break the Fast
This Ramadan in Gaza, where lack of food is forcing families to eat leaves and animal food to survive, there will be no dates to break the fast.
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EMERGENCY ALERT
Almost 350,000 children under the age of 5 in Gaza are at risk of starvation.
Save the Children is working around the clock to deliver critical aid to children living in the hardest-to-reach places. The hazardous conditions facing aid workers exacerbate the already deeply dangerous and precarious conditions we're facing in delivering humanitarian assistance to children and families in Gaza. Will you donate today to support this lifesaving work?
Gaza needs the support of humanitarian organizations now more than ever
- 1.1 million people across Gaza are facing catastrophic levels of hunger. Famine is imminent.
- All children affected by the violence in Israel and Gaza must be supported to find safety.
- Over 33,000 people have been killed, the majority of whom are women and children. We need a definitive #CEASEFIRENOW
85% of the total population of Gaza — 1.9 million civilians — have been forcibly displaced
No child in Gaza can go to school — there is a total absence of education
Save the Children and our partners have reached nearly 338,000 people, including 174,000 children
Save the Children has been providing essential services and support to Palestinian children impacted by the ongoing conflict since 1953, and have had a permanent presence in the occupied Palestinian territory since 1973. We are present in the West Bank and Gaza.
1.1 million people across Gaza are facing catastrophic food insecurity (IPC Phase 5). With families crammed in makeshift tents and a near total breakdown in food supply, clean water and healthcare, children in Rafah are suffering from starvation and disease. IPC Special Brief projects famine will occur any time between now and May 2024.
For years, Save the Children has responded to the unique needs of children impacted by conflict and displacement. Your donation to the Children's Emergency Fund helps support this life-saving work.
Janti Soeripto, Save the Children president and CEO, appeared on "Face the Nation" On December 10, 2023 to discuss the "unspeakable" humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.
Ensuring the safety and security of our staff in Gaza remains our top priority. In October 2023, Save the Children’s first supplies entered Gaza from Egypt, including medical kits, consumables, and water.
Today, amidst extremely challenging conditions, our teams have been working around-the-clock to find ways to deliver aid to children. Their safety and well-being are paramount considerations in all our operations. Our staff in Gaza are facing the same situation that all children and familes are facing. While we are doing all we can to support them – including providing shelter, aid and basic supplies - what we really need to ensure their safety is a definitive ceasefire, now.
As soon as access is possible, we are ready to scale up our response further in Gaza through the planned activities below:
Distributing more essential supplies, such as water, food, toiletries and household essentials
Providing fuel and water infrastructure for hospitals and distributing water storage tanks
Delivering mental health and psychosocial support services for children and caregivers
Delivering mental health and psychosocial support services, including setting up Child-Friendly Spaces
Setting up temporary learning spaces and repairing damaged schools
Identifying the most at-risk children for child protection services
Millions of Children on the Frontlines of Conflict Are at Grave Risk
Our research has found that after years of blockade and multiple cycles of violence from all parties to the conflict, four out of five children in the Gaza Strip report that they live with depression, grief, and fear. Caregivers reported that three out of five are self-harming. With every airstrike or rocket launched, children’s sense of safety is ripped away yet again, with a devastating psychological toll.
Many are suffering from:
- poor mental health including depression and anxiety
- reduced access to education
- losing their family and friends
- life-changing injuries
As violence escalates, thousands of children’s lives are at grave risk. Across the West Bank and inside Israel, unrest continues and children live in fear of arrest or displacement.
The only way to truly protect children’s lives and wellbeing is for all parties to halt this violence and do everything in their power to de-escalate the situation immediately, and to seek a lasting and sustainable peace.
Without immediate support, the world’s most vulnerable children are at risk of physical and emotional harm with devastating, lifelong consequences. That’s why Save the Children works in the hardest-to-reach places, where it’s toughest to be a child. But we need your help. Together, we can fight threats to child survival. Donate to the Children's Emergency Fund today.
*The following humanitarian organizations are working in Israel. Save the Children encourages our supporters to also contribute to their efforts, if you can: Physicians for Human Rights Israel and The Humanity Crew.
Updated: April 5, 2024
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Months of conflict have put the lives of at least one million children in Gaza at risk.
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Across the Gaza Strip, hundreds of teachers have been killed and about 75% of schools, colleges, and universities have been completely destroyed or damaged.
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