Gaza's 1.1 million children will once again face a hellscape of bombs, bullets, starvation, and disease, compounding nearly 17 months of physical and mental harm, warned Save the Children, as a six-week pause in hostilities ended and Israel announced a suspension on all humanitarian aid entering Gaza. The halting of aid and resumption of Israeli airstrikes threaten to plunge children back into a catastrophic reality which the international community must and can stop.
The denial of aid which coincides with the start of Ramadan has led to worry and panic in Gaza, with Save the Children teams reporting that families are trying to stock up items in fear that food supplies will run out. Teams have reported that markets in Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah had run out of all items by the end of the day on Sunday while prices reportedly doubled in one day.
Ahmad Alhendawi, Save the Children's Regional Director, said:
"Halting aid and resuming hostilities now is nothing short of a death sentence for Gaza's children. The world cannot turn a blind eye as children are thrust back into the heart of this brutal war. They will once again be killed and maimed by bombs and bullets, while facing the very real dangers of hunger, disease, and separation from their families. My thoughts and prayers are with the children of Gaza and the over 200 Save the Children staff members who are at risk once more.
"The brief respite offered by the pause was a mere drop in the ocean compared to the colossal humanitarian needs of over two million people in Gaza, including more than one million children. As Save the Children, we were able to help over 51,000 people with food, drinking water, winter clothes and shelter items to help protect them for the elements since the pause came into place. But there are thousands more entitled to that lifesaving support whose needs will only get worse with the resumption of violence and the stopping of entry of vital supplies.
Humanitarian aid, and by extension children's survival, must never be used as a bargaining chip. International law cannot be ignored or exploited for political means. The international community cannot stand by as more children are killed, more families are torn apart, and more futures are obliterated. This war has already stolen the childhoods and undermined the futures of an entire generation.
"Over 17,800 children have been killed, with thousands more estimated to be missing, presumed dead under the rubble. The scale and severity of suffering inflicted on children in Gaza has caused unprecedented and potentially irreversible mental and physical harm. Returning to the brutal reality of relentless atrocities is unconscionable. The latest developments are leading to fear among families who have already suffered too much. Our staff have heard a report of one woman who said she felt as if she was reliving the war, while a father told us his child pleaded with him to not let him die.
"The war in Gaza must not continue the way that it had been unfolding prior to the pause. We demand an immediate and definitive ceasefire and restrictions on humanitarian aid to be immediately lifted. Anything less is a catastrophic failure to uphold international humanitarian law and protect the most vulnerable. Gaza's children need more than just a pause in the violence - they need a complete end to this war and to the cycle of violence that has already marked the childhoods of children in Gaza since birth. The international community must act now to ensure that international humanitarian law in Gaza and human rights law in the West Bank is followed. We cannot fail Palestinian children again. Their lives hang in the balance, and the world must act to protect them, as is their legal obligation."
Save the Children Australia is deeply concerned by the reports that the Israeli Government has halted the entry of all goods and humanitarian assistance into Gaza, potentially leaving hundreds of thousands of children without access to life saving aid, as families observe their second Ramadan in 17 months of war.
"Just as we began to see the hint of an end to this nightmare, the situation now is at risk of becoming unfathomably worse," says Save the Children Australia CEO Mat Tinkler.
"Some children were just beginning to have a little bit of hope, a tiny reminder of normalcy, returning to schools in temporary learning facilities. But that hope has been shattered over the past 24 hours."
"The Australian Government must join with other nations and do all it can to restore the basic principles of humanity, as well as international law, by resuming aid to Gaza. The denial of food, water and medicine to millions of people will effectively be signing their death warrants."
"We need Israeli authorities to allow unimpeded access. We cannot take all hope away again from children in Gaza. They deserve more. They deserve to live".
More than 17,861 of Gaza's 1.1 million children (over 1.7%) have been killed, according to the latest figures from the Government Media Office in Gaza, and more than 20,000 children are estimated missing.
"The only way to end this suffering and ensure all children receive the support they need is through a lasting and definitive ceasefire. We urge all parties to the conflict to uphold international law and fulfill their obligations under every phase of the ceasefire agreement-promptly, concurrently, and in good faith. All remaining hostages must be released, and humanitarian aid must reach those in desperate need without delay."
Save the Children has been providing essential services and support to Palestinian children since 1953 and have had a permanent presence in the occupied Palestinian territory since 1973.
Save the Children has two primary health care centres in Gaza, where we provide vaccinations and urgent medical treatment for malnourished children, and pregnant and breastfeeding women. Since the pause in hostilities, our trucks carrying temporary shelter kits, bedding and hygiene products have already entered Gaza, with dozens more waiting at the border. As many people return to the north, our teams are working with partners in northern Gaza to deliver lifesaving aid while preparing to establish new primary health care centres, child-friendly spaces and temporary learning spaces where they are needed. We're also exploring mobile options to assist children and families on the move.
