Attachments
HIGHLIGHTS
- Nearly 2 million Palestinians have been displaced and over 36,000 people have been killed since 7 October 2023
including 14,100 children.
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There are famine-like conditions in the north of the Gaza Strip.
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As many as 3.3 million people, including 1.7 million children, are in need across the State of Palestine.
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Children in the Gaza Strip are displaced, often multiple times, at risk of being killed or maimed, and remain out of school. Acute threats to children include malnutrition, disease, access to safe water, sanitation, and mental health.
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UNICEF is responding at scale in the Gaza Strip with WASH, Nutrition, Health, Child Protection and Multi-Purpose Cash, while preparing for return to learning for children.
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In the West Bank, UNICEF is responding to the deteriorating situation, increased displacements and the impact of grave child rights violations including the killing and maiming of children.
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UNICEF requires US$ 526.1 million for 2024 to provide access to basic services, prevention and treatment of child malnutrition and child illnesses through nutrition, health and WASH interventions; provision of child protection services while restoring learning; and meeting families’ basic needs through humanitarian cash transfers.
KEY PLANNED TARGETS
1.5 million people are supported through UNICEF-delivered medical supplies
55,650 children 6-59 months with wasting admitted for treatment
480,000 children provided with explosive weapons prevention and/or survivor assistance
2.1 million people accessing a sufficient quantity and quality of water
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION AND NEEDS
As of 29 May 2024, over 36,000 Palestinians are reported killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of hostilities. Up to 70 per cent are reported to be women (9,200) and children (14,100) by the Palestinian Ministry of Health. It is estimated that almost 1 million people are internally displaced in the Gaza Strip. This is over 75 per cent of the population and many people are displaced multiple times.
UNICEF estimates that almost all of Gaza’s 1.2 million children need mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), with particular concerns for children who are exposed to repeated traumatic events, have been maimed, have lost parents and close family members, and children with disabilities.
In March 2024, the Famine Review Committee of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) found that famine is imminent in the North Gaza and Gaza Governorates.
The nutrition cluster estimated 50,400 children under five years suffer from acute malnutrition.
Disease and lack of access to safe water and sanitation is affecting children’s nutritional status. Additionally, only two per cent of children are reaching the minimum threshold for dietary diversity, which remains extremely worrying.
As of May 2024, 60 percent of WASH facilities have been destroyed or severely damaged heightening water shortages and limiting access to sanitation.
This increases the risk of waterborne disease while only 31 percent of hospitals remain even partially functional. 86 percent of all schools in the Gaza Strip are damaged or destroyed and 625,000 children are out of school for more than six months in the Gaza Strip. Their schools are used as shelters, or have been damaged or destroyed.
Since 7 October 2023, at least 480 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank.
At least 126 Palestinian children and two Israeli children are reported killed in conflict-related violence in the same time period. 3,300 Palestinians, including more than 1,500 children, have been displaced due to settler violence, access restrictions, home demolitions, and destruction of residences during military law enforcement operations.
Israeli authorities report that approximately 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed, mostly in the attacks of 7 October 2023 and more than 7,500 people are reported injured. At least 37 children have been reported killed in Israel. Some 255 people including 36 children were abducted from Israel into the Gaza Strip, of whom 131 were released including 34 children, with very limited information available on the children remaining in captivity.