UnicefUSA

For two and a half months, no aid trucks were allowed to cross the border into the Gaza Strip. UNICEF remains operational on the ground in Gaza delivering services — including lifesaving interventions and immunizations — but supplies are dangerously close to running out.

After more than two months of closed crossings and no humanitarian aid reaching Gaza, shelves sit nearly empty.

There’s a lot going on in the world, but the children of Gaza deserve our attention. Despite extreme challenges in the region, here’s how UNICEF is working urgently to support them:

Almost 120 international and national UNICEF staff members in Gaza are reaching children and families with essential services despite the extremely challenging conditions
UNICEF has deployed 32 additional people to support the continuation of routine immunization
Of the 234 nutrition centers across Gaza, 144 remain fully operational — but stocks of lifesaving nutritional treatments are just months away from running out
Safe water delivery is ongoing, though access in certain areas has been challenging and fuel supply remains a major constraint

UNICEF is doing everything they can, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to reach children with the support they desperately need. Since all aid was blocked from entering the Gaza Strip on March 2, hunger and malnutrition have intensified and famine is imminent.

Here's the worst part: children are suffering while the food and supplies they need are just sitting at the border, blocked from entry.

At this moment, UNICEF and other humanitarian organizations have the equivalent of over 1,000 truckloads of supplies from all sectors — including 116,000 metric tons of food assistance — ready to deliver into Gaza. All of this is on standby, ready to be brought in.

A child is screened for malnutrition using a mid-upper-arm circumference band. For over two months, the blockade has prevented all supplies from entering the Gaza Strip, leaving an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 children in need of therapeutic care each month.

A lasting ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access are vital to saving lives. With each passing day, children are being deprived of essential goods, services and lifesaving care. This is unacceptable.

UNICEF remains determined to do everything possible to meet children’s needs, but all parties must end the violence. Children are suffering in unimaginable ways. The aid blockade must be fully lifted — for the protection of all children.

If you’d like to give to UNICEF’s efforts in reaching children with essential resources and support in Gaza and elsewhere, your generosity is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for thinking of the children in Gaza,

UNICEF USA