Category: Children and Wellbeing

Source: Save The Children

Source: Save The Children

A boy looks at a rainbow over tents in Al Mawasi, Gaza [Bisan/ Save the Children]

RAMALLAH, 23 April 2024 – At least 24 children have reportedly been killed in three days of violence in the occupied Palestinian territory including 21 children killed by airstrikes in Rafah, and at least three children killed in Israeli force raids in a refugee camp in Tulkarm in the West Bank, said Save the Children.  

The escalating violence comes as civilians in both Gaza and the West Bank are increasingly unprotected, with children killed at a devastating rate across the occupied Palestinian territory. In Gaza, whole families are being wiped out, and a growing number of people, including children, are being left with no surviving family members.  

The attacks in Nur Shams camp in Tulkarm  in the occupied West Bank which started on 18 April have left at least 14Palestinians dead, including at least three children, in the deadliest incident in the governorate in nearly 20 years, said Save the Children.  

According to the UN, Israeli forces used anti-tank missiles, armoured bulldozers and live fire, injuring at least 11 Palestinians and destroying buildings. Several other Palestinians suffered from tear gas inhalation. Reports include bodies in the streets and houses hit by blasts as Israeli drones flew overhead and armoured vehicles moved through the camp. Residents reported no electricity, and food running short with no one allowed to enter or leave. According to Palestinian authorities, homes, shops, the electricity grid, and water and sewage networks and infrastructure were destroyed. Medics were reportedly denied access to the wounded by Israeli forces. 

Xavier Joubert, Save the Children Country Director in the occupied Palestinian territory, said: 

“The past few days have been notably deadly in a context already characterised by increasing death and destruction. The rate and scale of violence facing children in Gaza is unparalleled. At the same time, the situation in the West Bank is also rapidly deteriorating, with more and more children paying for increasing use of force with their lives. 2023 became the deadliest year on record for Palestinian children in the West Bank in September, with 38 killed by that point. At least 116 Palestinian children in the West Bank have been killed in the six months since.  

“There is nowhere safe in Gaza. There was also nowhere safe in Tulkarm in the last few days – people weren’t allowed to leave. The tragic reality is thatchildren and families in parts of the West Bank, instead of being protected, are being cornered by law enforcement operations with nowhere to go.” 

Save the Children is calling for stronger efforts to ensure respect and protection of civilians across the occupied Palestinian territory, including their access to medical care, at all times. Homes, schools and hospitals must also be respected and protected.  

Save the Children has been providing essential services and support to Palestinian children impacted by the ongoing conflict since 1953. Save the Children’s team in the occupied Palestinian territory has been working around the clock, prepositioning vital supplies to support people in need, and working to find ways to get assistance into Gaza.

For further enquiries please contact:

Randa Ghazy, Regional Media Manager for North Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe: Randa.Ghazy@savethechildren.org;

Our media out of hours (BST) contact is media@savethechildren.org.uk / +44(0)7831 650409

Please also check our Twitter account @Save_GlobalNews for news alerts, quotes, statements, and location Vlogs.

Source: Save The Children

ABUJA, 23 APRIL – Around one in six – or 15.6 million – children in Nigeria are facing hunger in the lead up to the lean season starting in June, according to a new analysis by Save the Children. The number of hungry children is 25% higher than the same period in 2023, and is likely the result of increasing insecurity, protracted conflict, banditry and rising food prices in the West African country.

According to Save the Children’s analysis of figures released by the Cadre Harmonisé – a regional framework to identify food and nutrition insecurity in the Sahel and West Africa – almost 32 million people in Nigeria, including 15.6 million children, will face crisis levels of hunger between June and August unless food and cash assistance is received [1].

While these months between harvests are when hunger typically peaks in Nigeria, a quarter more children are set to go hungry compared to 2023. This suggests that over 3.4 million additional children – on average 9,000 a day – have been plunged into hunger in the last year [2].

Violent killings, attacks and kidnappings by non-state armed groups and bandits in the country’s north have affected food production, disrupted local markets and caused farmers to flee their farms. According to the Association of Nigerian Farmers, so far this year at least 165 farmers across Nigeria have been killed, mostly in Benue in the country’s north-central region which the UN has said is an emerging hotspot for farmer and herder conflict [3].

Duncan Harvey, Save the Children’s Country Director for Nigeria, said:

“An already dire hunger situation in the country is gradually going from bad to worse as violence, insecurity and rising prices combine to leave over 15 million children hungry in Nigeria. Hunger exists nationwide, but the situation in the north where violence is rife is particularly dire. In Borno, Yobe, Katsina and Zamfara, one in three children do not know where their next meal will come from. 

Children in Nigeria – who make up one of the largest child populations in the world – have already endured far too much, as millions face conflict, violence and exploitation. This year one in six children will go hungry – an increase from last year. Urgent action must be taken to prioritise the needs of children to stop this devastating trend and protect innocent lives. If not, armed groups will continue to carry out brutal attacks, drive up food prices, and push more families to starvation.”

Under the IPC scale, Phase 3 is a crisis, Phase 4 is an emergency, and Phase 5 is used for when the situation is reaching famine-like conditions — the worst scenario categorised by starvation, death, and extremely critical acute malnutrition levels. At least 490,000 children – mostly in Borno and Katsina – are expected to face catastrophic levels of hunger (classed as IPC4). Hunger has risen sharply in Nigeria in recent years, up from about 7% of the population analysed by the UN in 2020 to 15% currently [4].

Bula Saidu (aged 12) lives in Konduga in Borno with his parents and siblings and is the second youngest of twelve children. Bula said:

“Eating is very difficult in my house. We eat once daily – I cannot remember the last time we had three square meals. After eating once, I grow so hungry, but there is no food to eat… I feel so weak and sick most times.”

Save the Children is calling upon governments in Nigeria at local, state and national levels to focus on transforming food production and distribution and to incentivise farmers to grow crops that are resistant to climate change.

Globally, world leaders must address the root causes of acute food and nutrition insecurity. Only by putting an end to global conflict, by tackling the climate crisis and global inequality, and by building more resilient health, nutrition, and protection systems that are less vulnerable to shocks like conflicts and the climate crisis, will we be able to ensure the same warnings are not ringing out again in the coming years.

Save the Children is also calling for greater collaboration between governments, development and humanitarian organisations, climate groups, and the private sector. Children and other community members need to be able to have their say in these discussions. No sector or intervention alone can respond to the many causes and vulnerabilities leading to food and nutrition insecurity, but combined, the impact will be more effective, efficient and at scale.

Save the Children has been working in Nigeria since 2001 and has been responding to the humanitarian crisis in the northeast since 2014. Save the Children is providing food, clean water, nutrition and protection services, sexual and reproductive health care, and education to families across Nigeria. Save the Children also provides technical support to the government on policy changes and reforms, especially in critical sectors such as health, education, and social protection.

Notes

[1] Cadre Harmonisé (CH) food and nutrition analysis, March 2024.

[2] Child shares estimated based on data from the UN World Population Prospects.

[3] Association of Nigerian Farmers data cited in local media reports.

[4] Since 2020, the percentage of children who are food insecure has risen from 7% to 15% suggesting the situation has worsened, however the population analysed has gone up from 50% to 88% which means  comparisons should be treated with caution. 

For further enquiries please contact:

Kunle Olawoyin kunle.olawoyin@savethechildren.org  

Please also check our Twitter account @Save_GlobalNews for news alerts, quotes, statements and location Vlogs.

Source: Save The Children

OSLO, 22 April – States who signed a milestone declaration in 2022 to protect civilians from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas need to urgently implement its provisions, with more rather than less children killed by such weapons in the past 18 months, Save the Children said.

The calls come on the first day of a conference in Oslo to review implementation of the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas. This Declaration was formally adopted by 80 states in November 2022 with three more states signing on since then.

The Declaration was designed to reduce the harm caused by explosive weapons like bombs, missiles and mortars on civilian populations, including children, with the conference meeting to take stock of implementation and discuss progress, opportunities and challenges, and the future follow-up of the Declaration.

Gunvor Knag Fylkesnes, Director of Advocacy and Communication at Save the Children Norway, said:

“In November 2022 States gathered in Dublin to agree new steps to tackle the humanitarian consequences arising from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.

However, in the two years since this Declaration was adopted, we haven’t seen any reduction in the number of children killed or injured by explosive weapons. If anything, we see an increase.

In Ukraine, explosive weapons, including missiles, drones, aerial bombs, artillery, and rocket launch systems have accounted for 87% of the nearly 2,000 children killed or injured since the war escalated in February 2022. Last month was one of the most dangerous for children in the Ukraine conflict in recent times, with at least 57 children killed or injured, including  four children – the youngest a three-month-old baby–injured in a single bombing.

In February two children were killed and three others seriously injured in southern Yemen following a landmine explosion. The five children, aged between nine and 10,  were playing in their village when they  accidentally triggered the explosive device. In 2023, more than half of the 284 children killed and injured in Yemen were due to landmines and unexploded ordinance.

Over 14,000 of Gaza’s 1.1 million children – or more than 1% of the total child population – have been killed since an attack on Israel on 7 October and the war on Gaza that has followed. The use of air-dropped explosive weapons by Israeli forces, combined with the intensity and frequency with which they are used in densely populated areas in Gaza, have had devastating consequences for Palestinians. Children that have been maimed and suffering physical injuries also have little option for medical care or treatment.

In any conflict involving explosive weapons, children are seven times more likely to die from blast injuries than adults. They tend to experience different types of injuries than adults and require specialist care that accounts for their physiology and growth. Research on the best ways to treat child-specific blast injuries lags far behind research for injured adults.

More needs to be done, now, to reduce the use of these devastating weapons. Save the Children is calling for all parties to the conflict to end the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, prioritize the clearance of explosive ordnance with long-lasting impacts and provide explosive ordnance risk education to safeguard children.”

Save the Children contributed to the development of the Declaration which recognises that children have unique vulnerabilities to the impacts of the use of explosive weapons. Now we stand ready to support states in their implementation of this pivotal document.

Source: Save The Children

Dr Simon Struthers, a Save the Children pediatrician offering care to children in Rafah [Soraya Ali/Save the Children]

• Health workers report an influx of children with wounds and lost limbs, often needing skin grafting and multiple operations
  

GAZA, 22 April – The rate of attacks per month on healthcare in Gaza since the beginning of the war has been higher than in any other recent conflict globally, standing at an average of 73 attacks each month, according to new analysis by Save the Children.   

There have so far been at least 435 attacks on health facilities or personnel across Gaza in six months of conflict between 7 October 2023 and early April 2024 – equivalent to 73 attacks per month of war, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).  This number exceeds the number of attacks per month in all other war-torn countries since 2018, including Ukraine who have the second highest number at 67 attacks per month, and the Democratic Republic of Congo with an average of 11 attacks per month.  

Attacks on healthcare in the occupied Palestinian territory haven’t been limited to Gaza, with 369 attacks also reported in the occupied West Bank in the last six months. These include 302 obstructions to health access, and the use of force within health facilities.  

The WHO classifies an attack on health care as any instance of violence against or any obstructions that interfere with delivery or access to, health services during emergencies, including psychological threats and intimidation of patients and workers. 

Six months of constant bombardment, siege and obstruction of aid deliveries have annihilated the health system in Gaza. Only 11 hospitals out of 36 are partially functioning and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) reported that some 350,000 people suffering from chronic diseases in Gaza are unable to access vital medicines, supplies, and services.  

Save the Children’s Emergency Health Unit are currently assisting children through a field hospital recently established by a partner in Rafah that offers primary health care to over 200 people a day, 40% of them children.  

Becky Platt, a pediatric nurse at the hospital said: 

“We’ve recently seen an influx of children from other hospitals with wounds and lost limbs, often needing skin grafting and multiple operations, but even getting hold of simple things like strong pain relief is a major challenge. When children have to undergo a procedure to save their limb and avoid infection, we are forced to do it with less pain relief than we’d normally use. So, I brought bubbles and games on my phone to distract them, but the reality is that a lot of these procedures need strong pain relief. That is causing huge distress, and it will also add to long term psychological damage.”  

She added:  

“We treated a 10-year-old boy who had some shrapnel in his thigh that had shattered his femur. He lost a lot of muscle and tissue, so he needed skin grafting and also had an external fixator on the leg. He had multiple operations, but he was so distressed by the way his leg looked that he couldn’t even look at it. He was doing this silent crying that was heartbreaking. But this is a standard story. Children are psychologically destroyed by everything that’s happened.”  

Doctors in Gaza say that a large part of their surgery is on children, and that the lack of food available often means that patients are not strong enough to heal properly or fight off infection. At least 28 children have died already because of malnutrition and dehydration, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. 

Dr Simon Struthers, a pediatrician at the field hospital in Rafah said: 

“We see acute respiratory infections, malnutrition cases, scabies, hepatitis A. I’ve seen more jaundice in the last two weeks than in my whole career. We treat many children with acute gastroenteritis, one type that spreads via fecal routes. Handwashing would reduce this, but now everyone is displaced, living in tents and unfortunately, overcrowding and lack of sanitation or clean water increase the risks.” 

 “Chronic pediatric problems are extremely challenging – cerebral palsy for example, or similar diseases that can’t be treated. Everything is on pause, including standard operations,” Simon explained, adding that the lack of medicines like steroid creams and antibiotic ointments hampers the treatment of simple diseases.   

The lack of security further compounds the challenges in accessing healthcare services. Israeli forces have hit ambulances, medical aid convoys and access roads, hospitals have become battlefields and WHO said that between mid-October and the end of March, over half of their missions in Gaza have been denied, delayed, impeded, or postponed.

Dr Simon added: “We can’t take risks and have to be careful which route we take, because of what’s going on and we’re fearful of what’s coming from Israeli forces, rather than the local population who are very supportive of us. We’re constantly reminded of the risks, and our staff spend some evenings learning how to use trauma dressings and tourniquets in case they are needed.” 

Xavier Joubert, Save the Children’s Country Director in the occupied Palestinian territory, said: 

“After six months of unimaginable horror, the healthcare system in Gaza has been brought to its knees. Healthcare workers are risking their lives daily to give Palestinian children a chance at survival. The constant attacks on healthcare are simply unjustifiable and must stop. Palestinian children must have unimpeded access to services, including healthcare and education.” 

Save the Children has been providing essential services and support to Palestinian children impacted by the ongoing conflict since 1953. Save the Children’s team in the occupied Palestinian territory has been working around the clock, prepositioning vital supplies to support people in need, and working to find ways to get assistance into Gaza.     

Multimedia content available here and here. 

Notes 

WHO defines an attack on health care as ‘verbal or physical violence, obstructions or threat of violence that interfere with delivery or access to health services during emergencies, including psychological threats and intimidation of patients and workers, using hospitals and health facilities for military purposes or most commonly, attacks on health facilities and people using weapons’.   

[1] Data taken from the WHO Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care (SSA) https://extranet.who.int/ssa/Index.aspx. Gathering data on attacks on health is more challenging in some contexts where governments for example do not provide regular updates and as such some contexts might be under-reported in UN data. Gaza breakdown is taken from WHO Situation Reports. While the war in Ukraine has recorded a higher number of attacks on health in total -1,734 attacks over almost 26 months – these have been at a lower rate, having taken place over a longer period. 

[2] Rate and number of attacks on healthcare in the top three crises (by number of attacks since 2018 or start of conflict if later) as per the WHO Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care (SSA) database, 2018 – 2024: 

 [3] Includes attacks classified by WHO as confirmed, probable or possible. All attacks in oPt in our analysis period since October 2023 are classified by WHO as confirmed. 

Ukraine has seen the second-highest rate of attacks on healthcare at 67 incidents per month since 2018, the date from which systemic records in the WHO Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care (SSA) database began. There have been over 1,700 documented attacks on health in Ukraine in the two years since the escalation of the war in February 2022. 

For further enquiries please contact:

Randa Ghazy, Regional Media Manager for North Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe: Randa.Ghazy@savethechildren.org;

Our media out of hours (BST) contact is media@savethechildren.org.uk / +44(0)7831 650409

Please also check our Twitter account @Save_GlobalNews for news alerts, quotes, statements, and location Vlogs.

Source: Save The Children

TRAPANI, Italy, 19 April 2024 – The decision by an Italian court to dismiss a case against charities and their staff members running search and rescue missions in the Mediterranean in 2016 and 2017 is one step towards affirming that our organisation was operating legally to save lives, Save the Children said.

Commenting on the ruling of the Judge for the Preliminary Hearing of the Court of Trapani to dismiss one of the cases against a Save the Children team leader of the humanitarian search and rescue mission in the Mediterranean:

“In the years in which the search and rescue mission in the Central Mediterranean was active, 2016 and 2017, Save the Children rescued almost 10,000 people who were at risk of drowning at sea. Among them were some 1,500 children, many of whom were separated from their families. We are very pleased with the outcome of the preliminary hearing and thank all our supporters who, even during these years, have continued to believe in the values of our organisation”, said Daniela Fatarella, CEO of Save the Children Italy.

Throughout the proceedings, Save the Children firmly rejected any allegations of illegal activities in its life-saving operations, maintaining that it was responding to its humanitarian mandate and that its search and rescue activities were carried out in compliance with applicable law, and under co-ordination of the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (IMRCC) and other appropriate authorities.  Save the Children cooperated fully with the relevant proceedings, while continuing to work throughout Europe, including in Italy to support migrant children, and expressed full confidence that the Italian judiciary would determine that no offences had been committed.

A court in Trapani on 19 April 2024 dismissed the Trapani Prosecutor’s case against one of Save the Children’s team leaders involved in search and rescue operations on board the ship Vos Hestia.

Ms. Jean-Paule Castagno – who, together with Mr. Andrea Alfonso Stigliano of the law firm Orrick in Milan, represented Save the Children’s team leader– also commented on the ruling, saying “the outcome of this preliminary hearing is the result of years of hard work, during which Save the Children carried out a  detailed defence exercise, collecting and bringing to the attention of the Judge key evidence that did not emerge during the investigation.  This evidence was ultimately decisive in convincing the Prosecutor’s Office to re-evaluate its stance to the point of requesting dismissal of the case.”

Today more than ever, Save the Children’s thoughts go out to all the people who continue to lose their lives crossing the central Mediterranean: in the last 10 years, that is an average of more than 6 people per day[1], dead or missing, chasing the hope of a better future. It is necessary to put people and their rescue back at the centre of national and European migration policies. Save the Children calls for a shared responsibility of Member States and European institutions, with the creation of a structured and coordinated search and rescue system in the Mediterranean, the opening of regular and safe channels for access to Europe and the creation of new mechanisms for family reunification, humanitarian corridors and evacuation for people escaping.

 [1] The figure was derived by dividing the total number of people who died in the central Mediterranean over 10 years by the number of years and then the number of days in each year. Source IOM

Source: Save The Children

Asra*, 30, and her children at a Save the Children health clinic. Photo by Fahim Mayar/Save the Children. More content available here

Content available here

KABUL, 18 April 2024 – Nearly a quarter of a million Afghan children need proper homes, food, and access to education after returning from Pakistan in the past seven months with virtually nothing, said Save the Children.  

More than 520,000 Afghans have returned from Pakistan since September 2023 after Pakistan said all undocumented foreigners must leave the country voluntarily or face deportation. Nearly half of all the returnees are children [1].  

A survey by Save the Children of families who have returned to Afghanistan – and the communities who are hosting them – found that nearly all (99%) do not have enough food for the next one to two months. About three-quarters of returnees and families in host communities reduced portion sizes or restricted the food consumption of adults so small children could eat on at least two days in the previous week.

About 40% of returnees and host families surveyed had to borrow food or rely on friends and relatives for at least three days a week – with 13% of returnees and 9% of host families saying they had to get food from others every day.  

Almost 8 million children in Afghanistan – or one in three – are facing crisis levels of hunger [2].  

Nearly one in six families live in tents, according to the survey, with most returnees having little or no means to support themselves. Only a third had managed to bring assets back with them from Pakistan. Nearly half (47%) said there were no jobs available in Afghanistan, with 81% saying that they do not have any skills that could lead to employment.  

Almost two thirds (65%) of children who have returned to Afghanistan have not been enrolled in school. The majority (85%) told Save the Children that they don’t have the necessary documents to register and enroll in school. In Pakistan, more than two thirds of these children had been attending school.  

Raihana* (15) is living with her grandfather after returning with her mother and 3 siblings. The family sold everything before they left Pakistan.  

She said: “When I was returning to Afghanistan, I bid farewell to my friends there. They were very sad about it, and I am sad too. I will not be able to meet them again until we can go with proper documents to Pakistan, which is not easy for us.  

“We are in desperate need of aid. We need shelter, living essentials, winter clothing, shoes, blankets, food and medicine. Afghanistan is very cold for us, and it is challenging because we do not have winter clothing. My sister and brother became ill, so we brought them here to see the doctors.” 

Save the Children is operating five mobile health and nutrition clinics in areas close to Torkham and Spin Boldak and also have health teams operating in Nangarhar to support returnees and their host communities. It is also providing child protection, psychosocial support and water, sanitation and hygiene services in camps and reception centres as well as providing cash assistance to 2,500 families who have returned from Pakistan.  

Arshad Malik, Country Director for Save the Children in Afghanistan, said:   

“Families are returning to Afghanistan with virtually nothing. Most are relying on relatives or friends to support them – and these communities already have little to support themselves. The return of so many people is creating an additional strain on already overstretched resources. Children need support and stability. Many undocumented Afghan children were born in Pakistan – Afghanistan is not the place they call home. 

“Afghanistan is struggling to cope with the pressure of displacement. In addition to the returns from Pakistan, 600,000 Afghans arrived from Iran last year [3]. Families have been forced from their homes by multiple disasters, including the series of earthquakes in Herat and the ongoing drought. Afghanistan is also now home to the second largest number of internally displaced people in the world – or roughly 1 in 7 people [4].  

“Pakistan has generously hosted large numbers of Afghan refugees for many decades. We hope that this demonstration of compassion and solidarity will continue for those vulnerable families who still need international protection.  

“Afghanistan not only needs urgent funding from international donors and governments – we also need long term, community-based solutions to help all displaced Afghans rebuild their lives.” 

ENDS 

Notes to editors

485 returnee households and 240 households in host communities in Nangarhar, Kunar and Laghman were surveyed by Save the Children. A survey questionnaire and key informant interviews were used for the primary data collection in November 2023.  

* denotes name changed to protect identity 

You can read the report here

Multimedia content: http://www.contenthubsavethechildren.org/Package/2O4C2SOWU9B4   

Save the Children has been supporting communities and protecting children’s rights across Afghanistan since 1976, including during periods of conflict and natural disasters. We have programmes in nine provinces and work with partners in an additional seven provinces. Since August 2021, we’ve been scaling up our response to support the increasing number of children in need. We deliver health, nutrition, education, child protection, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene, and livelihood support. 

Sources 

[1] https://reliefweb.int/report/pakistan/unhcr-iom-pakistan-flash-update-14-arrest-and-detentionflow-monitoring-15-sep-20-jan-2024#:~:text=The%20figures%2C%20particularly%20of%20undocumented,nationals%2C%20should%20be%20considered%20underreported.&text=While%20UNHCR%20and%20IOM%20continue,their%20peak%20in%20November%202023.&text=In%20the%20past%20two%20weeks,for%20the%20province%20of%20Balochistan. 

[2] https://www.savethechildren.net/news/one-three-children-afghanistan-enter-2024-facing-crisis-levels-hunger 

[3] https://www.acaps.org/en/countries/iran 

[4] https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/afghanistan/afghanistan-humanitarian-needs-and-response-plan-2024-december-2023 

We have spokespeople available.

For interview requests and further information, please contact: 

Rachel Thompson, Asia Pacific Regional Media Manager, rachel.thompson@savethechildren.org 

Emily Wight, Global Media Manager, Emily.Wight@savethechildren.org;

Our media out of hours (BST) contact is media@savethechildren.org.uk / +44(0)7831 650409    

Please also check our Twitter account @Save_GlobalNews for news alerts, quotes, statements, and location Vlogs.   

Source: Save The Children

Rubble and destruction in Rafah, Gaza. Bisan/Save the Children

“I can’t see a life for them anymore, or a future.” This is what Ahmad* fears for his three children, currently displaced in Rafah in Gaza, occupied Palestinian territory.

More than 14,500 of Gaza’s 1.1 million children have been killed since 7 October – thousands more are ‘missing’, presumed buried under the rubble, their deaths unmarked. The life-saving aid which families rely on has either been drip-fed or denied by Israeli authorities – while essential services have been decimated by ongoing Israeli airstrikes and hostilities.

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For Ahmad and many other desperate parents, they are striving to keep their children alive. But they are also aware that if their children survive the bombs and hunger, their potential in the longer term is in real jeopardy.

All schools in Gaza have been closed for 625,000 students for 6 months. According to the Ministry of Education, as of 2 April, more than 5,479 students and 261 teachers have been killed in the Gaza Strip since 7 October.

As of 30 March, the Education Cluster estimates that 87.7% of all school buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed.  212 school buildings have had a direct hit and could be severely damaged and a further 282 have sustained moderate, minor or likely damage. Previously 503,500 children attended, and 18,900 teachers taught at the school buildings which have now had a direct hit or sustained major or moderate damage. Every university in Gaza has been destroyed. 

Due to the challenges to access areas, particularly in Gaza and North Gaza governorates, the Education Cluster administered a Satellite-derived Damage Assessment in Gaza to verify initial school damage data.

The findings are shocking. The satellite images show the scale of the bombardment on hundreds of schools. International Humanitarian law (IHL) grants schools’ general protection against direct attacks: a direct attack against a school violates the rule of distinction and constitutes a breach of IHL.  Attacks on schools are a grave violation against children in conflict. The destruction shown also demonstrates the devastating, lasting impact on a generation of children’s learning. Their learning has already been cut-off due to this conflict. But once hostilities cease, they will have no schools to return to.

When children are out of school for a long period, their learning does not just stop but is also likely to regress. We know from previous crises that the longer children are out of school, the greater the risk that they do not return. This risks their prospects in the longer-term, including their income, and their mental and physical health, while they may also be at greater risk from violence and abuse.

Distribution of school buildings and damaged sites in Khan Younis Governorate

Example snapshots of Jules & Abu Thar Al Ghaffari & Sami Al Alamiy & Al Taqoa & Sarafand & Asdoud & Al Zahawi Schools – Gaza/An Naser

© Education Cluster Satellite-derived Damage Assessment.

The ongoing conflict – the relentless bombardment, the decimation of vital services and the imminent famine has translated into a destruction of the fundamental tenets of childhood. Save the Children found that children have no escape from the reality of war, no stable routine, no opportunity to learn or play – and for many, no family. These are essential protective factors that children need to mitigate against the risk of lasting mental harm. 

Children in Gaza have consistently expressed that going back to school is one of their top priorities. It provides them with a sense of normalcy, opportunities to play with friends and to continue to develop skills and knowledge for their futures.^iv 

Maher*, a father in Gaza says “A few days ago, one of my children told me, ‘I want to eat healthy food. I really want to go to school and live my old, normal life. And I want to play.’

Education in emergencies is an essential part of the first phase of a quality child-focused humanitarian response, where safe spaces are established where children can play, receive psychosocial support with referrals to specialised Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) and Child Protection services. 

But in Gaza no place is safe – so scaling up the critical education in emergencies response is currently near impossible and not without risk.

An immediate and definitive ceasefire is needed. The siege on Gaza must end, with all crossings (re)opened to allow goods in accordance with IHL obligations for parties to the conflict – both commercial and humanitarian.

The Government of Israel should immediately end unlawful attacks on education and endorse and fully implement the Safe Schools Declaration. All parties must respect the protected status of schools and not use schools as battlegrounds. 

The international community should strongly condemn all attacks on schools and demand that all parties to the conflict respect IHL, commit no further grave violations against children and ensure that there is accountability for those committed to date. It must prioritise urgent inclusive MHPSS and education in emergencies whenever safe and unimpeded humanitarian access is a reality.

Hope dies when a parent or child can no longer imagine their future and fulfil their rights. We must act now for a permanent and definitive ceasefire. We must keep their hope alive.

Help protect children living in crises like Gaza by donating today to our Children’s Emergency Fund.