Attachments
CURRENT CONTEXT
The ongoing war in the Gaza Strip is having catastrophic consequences for children, who make up half of the population, over 1.1 million. Children, along with women, account for approximately 75% of the total population affected by the conflict. Since the escalation of hostilities on 7 October 2023, children in the Gaza Strip have been killed, maimed, displaced, orphaned, and traumatized, at an unprecedented scale.
The Gaza Strip has become one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a child, with nearly every aspect of a safe and dignified childhood under threat and children exposed to an unprecedented scale and intensity of grave violations. Displaced multiple times, many children now live in overcrowded tents and makeshift shelters, many live on the street, with no access to food, water, sanitation, health, social safety nets, safe spaces, education, or essential services. These conditions further expose children to protection risks, illness, and long-term psychological harm.
According to the Ministry of Health, since the aid blockade began on 2 March 2025, 66 children have reportedly died from the effects of malnutrition in June 2025. If current conditions continue, nearly 71,000 children under the age of five are expected to become acutely malnourished in the coming 11 months2 .
OCHA’s 2025 Flash Appeal, reports that more than 3.3 million people, including 2 million children are in dire need of humanitarian assistance across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank including East Jerusalem. In response, humanitarian actors aim to reach 3 million people, including a 1.5 million children and caregivers, with critical life-saving support and protection services