UNICEF is calling for urgent funding to protect 540,000 children in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank
54
As winter approaches, UNICEF is launching an urgent appeal for US$97.5 million to protect 540,000 children and their families across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank from expected freezing temperatures, heavy rains, flooding, and other life-threatening winter conditions.
In the Gaza Strip, nearly 84 percent of the population – more than 1.76 million people – still live in overcrowded displacement sites or damaged and inadequate shelters, leaving families without sufficient protection from the elements.
In the West Bank, violence, displacement, movement restrictions, and a deepening financial crisis are impacting the ability of the most vulnerable families to cope with the winter, making the most vulnerable children increasingly susceptible to harsh conditions.
Children are the most at risk; infants, toddlers, and those with chronic health conditions face heightened risks of hypothermia, respiratory infections, waterborne diseases, and other preventable illnesses. Last winter, at least 11 children, including infants, reportedly died in the Gaza Strip from hypothermia. Timely assistance can help prevent such deaths and illnesses.
“For hundreds of thousands of children, winter is not just a seasonal hardship; the winter months pose an additional threat to their survival, safety, and well-being,” said Jonathan Veitch, UNICEF Special Representative in the State of Palestine.
