Statement: Save the Children Welcomes Temporary Truce and Hostage Release
The release of several women and children hostages is welcome and long overdue news.
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EMERGENCY ALERT
What's happening in Gaza and Israel right now is horrifying.
In Gaza, children have been cut off from the basics they need to survive. Save the Children calls for an immediate ceasefire. Recently, a truck carrying 45,000 bottles of water from Save the Children arrived in Gaza. But it is a drop in the ocean. Your donation to the Children's Emergency Fund supports these urgent humanitarian relief efforts.
Children have no part in starting wars, but are victims of their violence
- All children affected by the violence in Israel and Gaza must be supported to find safety.
- The release of several hostages is welcome and long overdue news. But much more must be done.
- Humanitarian assistance must be scaled up to meet the demands of the crisis. Aid must not be withheld from children.
10K+ lives lost in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank
1.4M+ people displaced in Gaza
500,000 people, including 250,000 children, we aim to reach through our humanitarian response
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. The existing humanitarian situation for families in the occupied Palestinian territory is already dire. Approximately 2.45 million people need humanitarian assistance, 1.2 million of whom are children.
The release of several women and children hostages is welcome and long overdue news. All hostages must be unconditionally released and rights must be upheld for all children, all of the time. And while the temporary truce will provide much needed respite from relentless violence for children in Gaza, they still lack the necessities needed to survive.
Save the Children is committed to the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. We go where needs are greatest. Our teams in Gaza, Egypt and Lebanon have been working around the clock to preposition vital supplies to meet the needs of impacted children.
Right now, children are under increasing emotional and psychological pressure as they bear the brunt of the world's worsening crisis. 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.
In the last weeks, Save the Children’s first supplies entered Gaza from Egypt, including medical kits, consumables, and water. While every piece of aid reaching families in Gaza matters, the current rate of delivery is nowhere near enough. Fuel must be allowed entry into Gaza.
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, and 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: Magen David Adom (Israeli Ambulance Service), Physicians for Human Rights Israel and The Humanity Crew.
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