Save the Children ratcheting up help in Gaza

FAIRFIELD – Save the Children is scaling up its operations in Gaza now that a temporary ceasefire has been reached in the 15-month war between the Government of Israel and Hamas.

“The temporary ceasefire is a welcome pause in hostilities that provides hope of protecting children in Gaza and throughout the region from bombs and bullets for as long as it holds,” the Fairfield-based charity stated. But make no mistake: The nightmare isn’t over for children. This agreement must become a definitive ceasefire and enable the rapid increase of humanitarian assistance for children facing hunger, malnutrition and disease.”

More than 17,818 of Gaza’s 1.1 million children have been killed over the past 15 months, according to Save the Children.

“The urgency now is to provide shelter, food and medical supplies to hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza who’ve lost their homes and loved ones and are struggling to survive,” the organization stated. “As the shadow of famine hangs over Gaza, winter conditions worsen and families feel the effects of months without access to basic necessities, the world must spring into action and begin to dramatically ramp up the delivery of humanitarian aid.”

In October 2023, Save the Children’s first supplies entered Gaza from Egypt, including medical kits, consumables, and water.

Today, amidst extremely challenging conditions, our teams have been working around-the-clock to find ways to deliver aid to children. Their safety and well-being are paramount considerations in all our operations. Our staff in Gaza are facing the same situation that all children and families are facing.

As of January 2025, Save the Children and its partners have reached more than 1.2 million people across the occupied Palestinian territory, including over 1 million people in Gaza.

Save the Children has provided such services as:

• Distributing more essential supplies, such as water, food, toiletries and household items
• Providing fuel and water infrastructure for hospitals and distributing water storage tanks
• Delivering mental health and psychosocial support services
• Setting up child-friendly spaces
• Setting up temporary learning spaces and repairing damaged schools
• Identifying the most at-risk children for child protection services.

For information about Save the Children’s efforts in Gaza, visit its website