Toronto, November 25, 2024 – About 130,000 children aged under 10 have been trapped for 50 days in areas in northern Gaza that are almost entirely inaccessible to aid workers and not receiving food or medical supplies despite warnings of famine, said Save the Children [1].
Children living in North Gaza and Gaza governates have been almost completely cut off from supplies of food, water, and medicine since 6 October 2024 when Israeli forces declared the area to be a closed military zone, with the independent Famine Review Committee (FRC) saying that famine is either imminent or likely already occurring in the area [2].
The UN also warned nearly a month ago that the entire population of North Gaza governorate was at risk of dying yet attempts by aid groups to access the area have been repeatedly denied by Israeli forces.
Save the Children has food parcels for 5,000 families on standby to deliver to northern Gaza, along with 725 hygiene kits and other aid supplies, but has been unable to get access to the area for over seven weeks. Before the area was closed off, Save the Children worked through local partners to reach thousands of children in need, distributing over 1,000 food parcels and 600 hygiene kits, and reaching around 15,000 children and families in northern Gaza with psychosocial support, recreational activities, and case management. The 5,000 food parcels have consequently been re-directed to and delivered in southern Gaza where the needs are still great, though not as critical.
Medical supplies to the area have also stopped and about 10,000 children in Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun were not reached at all by the recent polio vaccine campaign. About 113,000 children in northern Gaza received one or both polio vaccinations between September and November 2024, about 88% of the target under-10 child population [2]. North Gaza’s Kamal Adwan hospital, one of two only partially operational in the governorate, continues to come under attack by Israeli forces and medical supplies have dwindled.
Many families are trapped in northern Gaza because they have been unable to flee, either due to elderly or disabled relatives, or a lack of alternate options in other parts of Gaza. Parents in northern Gaza have told Save the Children of feeling “suffocated”, with “no energy left in our bodies”.
Children are bearing the brunt of the war in Gaza, said Save the Children. About 44% of those killed by Israeli forces are children, according to the UN, with the largest category of children killed between the ages of 5 and 9 years old.
Ruba*, a mother of two from a partner organization of Save the Children in northern Gaza, said:
“I am trapped with my children under relentless bombs, rockets, and bullets, with nowhere to run. My mother is paralyzed, and I cannot leave her behind. My brother has been killed, my husband was taken, and I don’t know if he’s alive. Our home was destroyed over our heads, and we survived by a miracle.
“With no food, no clean water, and constant fear, both my children have developed rashes, and my daughter is passing blood, but there is no medicine, no help, and absolutely nothing I can do. They cry and ask me why we can’t just leave, why their father isn’t with us, why we can’t go back to a normal life.”
Jeremy Stoner, Regional Director of Save the Children, said:
“The situation in northern Gaza is not fit for human survival and yet we know there are about 130,000 children under 10 trapped in those conditions, not to mention the thousands of older children and their families.
“The war in Gaza is a war on children. There is no plainer way to illustrate this then to look at the people who make up the death figures – over 4 in every 10 people verified killed in Gaza is a child. Of these children, most are 5–9-year-olds. These are children who should be learning to read and ride bikes. They should not be ending up in mortuaries.
“Humanitarian aid to Gaza has hit an all-time low with the appalling situation in northern Gaza the tip of a terrible iceberg. Safe humanitarian access must be granted immediately to allow food, water, winter supplies and medical assistance to reach those who are trapped in the death zone in the north. The international community must step up and make sure that happens, in line with their obligations. Without access and a ceasefire, we are condemning children to perish in hell on earth.”
The UN Human Rights Office has said the way hostilities have been conducted could cause “the potential destruction of the Palestinian population” in Gaza’s northernmost governorate, raising particular concerns over the entry of essential supplies.
Save the Children has been working in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) since 1953 and has a permanent presence in Gaza where we deliver multipurpose cash assistance, health, nutrition, protection, informal education support, and mental health and psychosocial support for children and caregivers. We are the third largest cash assistance provider in Gaza, providing cash to families so they can buy food and any other essentials. Alongside local partners, we’re distributing vital supplies to families across shelters and households – drinking water, food, hygiene products, mattresses, blankets and winter kits, learning materials, toys, and games. We are advocating for immediate, unrestricted humanitarian access to ensure that lifesaving aid reaches children in need.
Notes:
[1] We estimate the total number of under 10-year-olds in northern Gaza to be at least 128,409 by using the upper figure of 113,000 under 10s vaccinated in the first round in northern Gaza and noting this was only 88% coverage.
[2] According to the Health Cluster, 113,000 children aged under 10 in northern Gaza (North Gaza and Gaza) received the first round of polio vaccinations between 1-12 September 2024, while 105,000 children aged under 10 in northern Gaza received the second round between 10 October and 5 November 2024. According to the WHO (which forms part of the Health Cluster), In northern Gaza, where the campaign was compromised due to lack of access, approximately 88% coverage, with an estimated 7000-10 000 children in inaccessible areas like Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun remain unvaccinated and vulnerable to the poliovirus.
https://healthcluster.who.int/countries-and-regions/occupied-palestinian-territory
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