Children in Gaza have already endured so much. Now they’re being starved to death.
Cut off from food and aid, over a million children are officially facing famine in Gaza. This hunger catastrophe is entirely human made and it’s worsening by the minute.
But a window to provide life-saving aid is now open.
Some crossings have opened to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. One of these is from Egypt, where Plan International has already delivered life-saving supplies. But we need more to even start to tackle the scale of the crisis we’ve all seen unfolding in Gaza.
Your donations could help provide life-saving food, water, shelter materials, dignity kits and hygiene kits. Together we can reach children who urgently need help.
Access could be cut off again at any moment. You can help us reach as many children in Gaza as we can, while we can. Please donate today.
Help children in crisis now
Children in Gaza are being starved to death. Help us reach as many children in Gaza as we can, while we can.
Our response
Conflict in the Middle East has led to millions of children and their families needing life-saving support. Plan International is reaching children across the region through a coordinated regional effort with local partners. This includes our teams based in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan, together with our partner organisations in Gaza.
Now a crossing has opened between Egypt and Gaza, we can get life-saving aid into Gaza. In Egypt, Plan International is working with the Egyptian Red Crescent and other organisations to do so. With additional support, our teams could dispatch up to 34 trucks per day with essential supplies, including those that tackle hunger.
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
Winter packages for children including 500 blankets, almost 600 sets of winter clothes, and 650 winterisation kits.
What is happening in the region
Conflict since October 2023 has created a catastrophic humanitarian crisis across the Middle East. Millions of children and their families across the region have fled their homes in search of safety. This includes 90% of Gaza’s population and millions of people in Lebanon. Many have been displaced repeatedly, some 10 times or more.
In Gaza, 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. Hunger is now a constant and life-threatening reality for children and their families. Virtually all households are skipping meals every day.
Within this crisis are millions of innocent and terrified children. Children who have witnessed horrors no child should.
‘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 - 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 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.
Red Line For Gaza
Destroying children’s futures is a red line.
Plan International is a member of Red Line For Gaza, a mass campaign bringing together voices of individuals and organisations to end the violence in Gaza.
The campaign aims to encourage MPs to take meaningful action for the people of Gaza by sending them as many messages as possible each week.
It’s easy to take part and every message counts. Find out more about the campaign on Red Line for Gaza’s website and see how you can get involved.
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 the Middle East continues to evolve each day. This page reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publishing.