Children in Gaza have already endured so much. Now, they’re being starved to death.
Cut off from food and aid, some 900,000 children are facing extreme hunger. This hunger catastrophe is entirely human made. And it’s worsening by the minute.
Children are terrified. Bombs continue to fall on their tents and makeshift homes. Drinking water is in short supply. Disease is on the rise.
We're working hard to get life-saving supplies ready to go. So as soon as we can deliver aid into Gaza again, we will act immediately. With your donation, we can provide essential food, safety, and shelter.
Children are always innocent. And they urgently need your support.
Please donate to our Gaza and Lebanon Children’s Emergency Appeal now.
Help children in crisis now
War is tearing families apart. They’re losing loved ones, livelihoods and homes. Children and their families in Gaza and Lebanon need help to survive.
Our response
Plan International's humanitarian response teams based in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan, together with our partner organisations in Gaza, are working tirelessly to support children and their families with life-saving assistance.
In Egypt, our teams are working with the Egyptian Red Crescent and other organisations to get supplies into Gaza.
We are reaching children and their families with life-saving aid and supplies through a coordinated regional effort with local partners.
So far, in Gaza Plan International has helped to provide:
- Over 18,000 families with food support
- Cash assistance to almost 1,200 households
- Over 10,000 people with health, hygiene and dignity kits including:
- Winter packages for children including 500 blankets, almost 600 sets of winter clothes, and 650 winterisation kits.
In Lebanon, we have provided:
- 5,000+ mattresses, 3,600+ pillows and 3,000+ blankets
- 24,000 litres of water
- Almost 1,000 baby kits and over 200 jars of baby food.
- 2,970 hygiene kits
- Almost 3,000 food kits
What's happening in Gaza and Lebanon?
Gaza
The terrifying violence since 7 October 2023 across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories has left thousands of children killed, injured and abducted.
Hunger is a constant and life-threatening reality for children and their families. They are dying of starvation. Over 1.8 million people are on the brink of famine – that's 76% of the population. An entirely avoidable famine is imminent across Gaza. Virtually all households are skipping meals every day.
Over 1.9 million people in Gaza have been displaced. That’s over 90% of the population. The destruction of infrastructure and blockade of essential supplies means families are desperately low on food, clean water, medicines and fuel. The healthcare system is close to collapse. Not a single hospital remains fully operational, and fewer than half are functioning at all. Medical care is critically scarce.
Lebanon
The conflict in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories has spread across national borders to Lebanon and is escalating by the day.
Airstrikes over the past year have killed more than 2400 people and over 10,000 people were injured, including children.
Over a million people fled their homes in search of safety. More than 150,000 of these are children. Despite a ceasefire in November 2024, humanitarian needs remain high. People desperately need shelter, food, cash, mental health support and more. Many families fled without their belongings, and urgently need basic supplies. This includes mattresses, blankets, shelter, food, hygiene kits, mental health support and more.
In Lebanon, our teams have been supporting those displaced with necessities like food, hygiene kits, menstrual health supplies and blankets and mattresses. We're also providing cash assistance and menstrual health supplies to displaced families, together with other life-saving assistance.
‘I’m a refugee in a school’
“I spend my days in a school. I am a refugee in a school run by the UN,” says 14-year-old Suhad from Gaza.
Suhad and her family were forced to shelter in a school after fleeing for their lives:
“After the attack, our house was bombed, my father’s workplace was bombed. Our neighbourhood was bombed. We saw that half our teachers were gone. Many people were killed, some of my friends were killed.
“My message to the world is that they look on us with mercy. We are children and our rights are being denied to us.”
Please donate to the Gaza and Lebanon Children’s Emergency Appeal to help girls in conflict like Suhad.
What are we calling for?
We continue to call for:
- An immediate, unconditional ceasefire in Gaza with a permanent end to the harrowing violence, including in the West Bank.
- The lifting of Israel’s blockade which restricts all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza. There must be safe and unhindered humanitarian access across all parts of Gaza, so that life-saving aid can reach children and their families in urgent need.
- Accountability for violations of International humanitarian Law. International humanitarian law and human rights law must be adhered to at all times, ensuring civilians, especially children, are protected and safe.
- The release of all remaining hostages, together with all Palestinians arbitrarily detained by Israeli forces – including hundreds of children.
- An end to all arms sales, including weapon parts and ammunitions, to Israel and all of the conflict parties. This includes an immediate stop the ongoing sale of UK fighter jet parts to Israel. Until this happens, the UK has blood on its hands.
Any donations received that exceed what is needed for this emergency will be held in reserve to respond wherever the need is greatest. Thank you for your generosity.
Banner image: Mother and child amid the tents in Rafah, southern Gaza. Credit: Terre des hommes.
*Note to readers: The crisis in Gaza and Lebanon continues to evolve each day. This page reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publishing.