The temporary ceasefire announced between the Government of Israel and Hamas is a welcome pause in hostilities that provides hope of protecting children in Gaza and throughout the region from bombs and bullets for as long as it holds.
But make no mistake: The nightmare isn’t over for children. This agreement must become a definitive ceasefire and enable the rapid increase of humanitarian assistance for children facing hunger, malnutrition and disease. This is just the first step toward a lasting peace and the long road to recovery for more than two million people living in Gaza who’ve been devastated by more than 15 months of war.
Now that the pause has been announced, we’re quickly scaling up our response to meet the immediate needs of children and their families. The urgency now is to provide shelter, food and medical supplies to hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza who’ve lost their homes and loved ones and are struggling to survive. As the shadow of famine hangs over Gaza, winter conditions worsen and families feel the effects of months without access to basic necessities, the world must spring into action and begin to dramatically ramp up the delivery of humanitarian aid.
At a camp in Deir Al-Balah, a Save the Children partner delivers food parcels to displaced families, as food shortages and soaring prices worsen Gaza’s ongoing hunger crisis.
The current ceasefire agreement represents long overdue relief after 15 months of relentless war. We welcome that this will facilitate the release of hostages, including children, and Palestinian children held in Israeli military detention, and hope it offers the first step toward the peace, protection and accountability that children deserve.
Save the Children and our partners have now reached more than 1.1 million people across Gaza. As we monitor the impacts of the temporary ceasefire agreement, we’re continuing to deliver critical supplies — including clean water, food, warm clothing and shoes, hygiene products and cash assistance. We’re also providing health care, children’s mental health services, safe learning spaces and other vital support.
Hind* and two of her children unpack a food parcel they received at a camp in Deir Al-Balah, which includes cheese, fava beans, hummus, tuna, dates, olive oil, canned meat and other essentials.
As more details of this ceasefire agreement emerge — including how it affects our ability to expand our humanitarian response — we’ll provide further updates in the days and weeks ahead.
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