Source: Save the Children
Children in Gaza are being killed by collapsing buildings and freezing cold temperatures as tents that are the sole shelter for families are blown away in strong winds, Save the Children said.
Despite a pause in hostilities four months ago, more than two years of Israeli bombardment, restrictions on aid delivery and a lack of equipment and supplies to rebuild have left life in Gaza barely sustainable. The UN said this week that at least 100 children have been killed since the latest pause in hostilities began on 10 October.
Shurouq, Save the Children Multimedia Manager in Gaza, said:
“Conditions in Gaza are gnawing away at daily life. At least seven children and 24 adults have died this winter from lack of shelter from the freezing cold. Several people including children have been killed or injured from falling remnants of rubble.
“For most people there is no home to return to. Flimsy tents are not enough to shelter families from the winter, and the state they are in is an insult to the litany of injuries that Palestinians in Gaza have endured over the past two years.
“We have been working through local partners to distribute tents and other winter supplies. But families are telling us this is not good enough – it is just a sticking plaster over a gaping wound. “Winter clothing is scarce and expensive – we are still seeing children wearing summer clothes, in winter temperatures, rain and strong winds. Soaked mattresses from flooded tents take at least three days to dry when it’s sunny, which isn’t often.
“We are committed to doing everything humanly possible to save lives and restore basic services, and expect the same determination from humanitarian organisations, governments and the private sector supporting Gaza’s recovery.”
Save the Children is continuing to deliver lifesaving services and multi-sector programming through our 300 Palestinian staff and trusted local partners in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).
Inside Gaza, the aid organisation runs child-friendly spaces, temporary learning spaces and mental health and psychosocial support for children as well as child protection case management.
Save the Children is also running health clinics, nutrition points, water and sanitation services and livelihoods programmes to support families whose livelihoods have been decimated.
While we have been unable to bring supplies into Gaza for some months, we are procuring supplies locally within Gaza to distribute. Save the Children is delivering newborn baby kits, and hygiene kits as well as medical supplies.
About Save the Children NZ:
Save the Children works in 120 countries across the world. The organisation responds to emergencies and works with children and their communities to ensure they survive, learn and are protected.
Save the Children NZ currently supports international programmes in Fiji, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Areas of work include child protection, education and literacy, disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, and alleviating child poverty.
