Source: ChildFund New Zealand
The number of aid workers killed in Gaza has reached unprecedented levels-making this one of the deadliest crises in recent history for those dedicated to saving lives.
“Tomorrow is World Humanitarian Day, and ChildFund New Zealand will be honouring its local partners working on the ground in Gaza.
These are people bringing lifesaving water and food to children in the strip and trying to maintain some sort of normality by continuing education and making safe play areas for children,” says Josie Pagani CEO of ChildFund.
The occupied Palestinian territory is the deadliest setting for aid workers worldwide, with Palestinian staff accounting for 98% of aid worker fatalities: 509 out of 517 killings that took place between 2023-2025, according to the Aid Worker Security Database.
ChildFund has joined more than 100 organisations in a joint global letter calling on Israel to stop the “weaponisation of aid” into Gaza, as “starvation deepens”.
Most major international aid organisations including ChildFund and its partners, have been unable to deliver a single truck of lifesaving supplies since March because of new rules introduced by the Israeli government for the registration of aid charities.
Under the new guidelines, registration can be rejected if Israeli authorities deem that a group denies the democratic character of Israel or “promotes delegitimization campaigns” against the country.
“ChildFund and its partners is not at all involved in the politics of the region. Its focus is entirely on saving lives.”
Aid agencies have been unable to deliver enough aid which has left hospitals without basic supplies and children, people with disabilities, and older people dying from hunger and preventable illnesses.
“The UN says 600 trucks of supplies a day are needed in Gaza. To date only a few are getting through,” says Josie Pagani.
“It’s not just the horror of starvation and lack of water. Gaza’s education system has collapsed and is no longer operating, schools are used as emergency shelters and
are often bombed.
More than 50,000 children have been killed or injured, and 658,000 school-aged children are left without access to formal learning spaces.
Through its partners, ChildFund has supported over 500,000 individuals with emergency access to water, sanitation, food and shelter.
“Over the coming months, our partners in Gaza will bring water and food in and set up temporary schools to keep children learning the basics – reading and maths – so they have some hope of a future if they survive this horror.”
Honour the principle of World Humanitarian Day:
The New Zealand government must:
1. Press Israel government to end the weaponisation of aid, including through bureaucratic obstruction, such as the INGO registration procedures.
2. Call for the immediate enforcement of international humanitarian law to ensure the protection of aid workers.
3. Demand safe humanitarian access to deliver life-saving aid in Gaza.
