6 months of war in Gaza: your impact
“It has been continuous suffering. We thought it would be or a month or a couple of weeks. This war has been going on for a long time and we need a solution,” says Roqaya* mother of six boys currently displaced because of the war in Gaza.
It has now been six months of devastating attacks, which have resulted in horrendous consequences for children. More than 13,800 children in Gaza have been killed, as well as 106 children in the West Bank and 33 children in Israel.
The continuous violence and destruction have reduced homes, hospitals, and schools to rubble. More than 1.7 million people have been displaced and more than one million children face the imminent threat of famine.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire and amidst extremely challenging conditions, Save the Children and local partners have been working around the clock to help children and families.
With your support, we’ve helped more than 377,400 people across the region, including more than 323,200 people in Gaza. Learn more about how your impact has helped children in the past six months.
The importance of local partners
In times of crisis, local and national partners are so important. They know their communities’ needs best and can provide the appropriate assistance. Also, they can support the transition to long-term recovery. We would not have been able to achieve our impact without our dedicated team and local partner organizations who are leading our response within Gaza.
Our team in Gaza is in regular communication with these partners to ensure they are always supported. We offer training, coaching, mentoring, and funding. As we scale up our response to this crisis, we aim to ensure at least 25% of our funding goes to local partners in 2024.
Supporting children’s mental health
Children pay the highest price in war. In a recent study (link to Trapped and Scarred), it was found that the recent war has seen a significant decline on children’s mental health and ability to cope. One father shared, “Some of my children can’t concentrate on basic tasks anymore. I wouldn’t even say that their mental health has deteriorated – it’s been obliterated.”
Our partners have set up spaces for children to play in UN shelters, running recreational activities and games, allowing them to just be children again. They are also providing psychosocial support, such as helping children process their emotions and build resilience.
Response across the region
West Bank
We’ve also supported more than 14,600 people, including 8,900 children, in the West Bank, where families are experiencing an increase in settler violence. We’ve provided more than 55 families with emergency cash and we’ve run child protection and recreational activities.
Egypt
So far, we have procured more than 684,000 litres of water, 5,000 food parcels and 3,000 baby kits, as well as shelter and hygiene kits. We’ve also sent experts from our Emergency Health Unit to help manage the complexity of procuring, transporting and distributing medical supplies in Gaza.
Thanks to our partnership with local organization, Community Jameel, we’re supporting medical evacuees arriving in Egypt from Gaza. This includes providing medical equipment and training first responders in ambulances to care for newborn and premature babies who have specific medical needs.
Lebanon
Over the past six months, 39,000 people, including 15,000 children, have been displaced by escalating violence and are living in shelters or with host families. We’ve provided clean water, food, learning materials, hygiene and cleaning products, mattresses, pillows and blankets, as well as some mental health support.
Thank you for supporting children in Gaza and across the region through this horrific war. We will continue to do everything we can to help children caught up in this crisis and we are prepared to support families in the months and years ahead.
To learn more and provide your support click here.