UN says Gaza crisis remains dire, children hardest hit

With children among the hardest hit by shortages of shelter, basic services and education, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

Briefing reporters in New York, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric described the situation as still “dire” for hundreds of thousands of families across the Strip who remain in urgent need.

UN health partners have expanded basic services in recent days. As part of a catch-up vaccination campaign launched last week, more than 6,000 children under three have now received shots to safeguard against preventable diseases.

Daily bread

On food security, the UN and its partners are providing daily bread rations to at least 43 per cent of the population, either free or at a heavily subsidized price of less than $1 for a two-kilogramme bundle.

This assistance is complemented by monthly household distributions of wheat flour, which reached 1.2 million people this month.

Shelter and winter support have also increased. Over the past week, humanitarian partners delivered tents, tarpaulins, sealing-off kits, mattresses and blankets to more than 7,500 families – while 1,400 children received winter clothing.

“Since Wednesday, our partners have reached over 2,300 families with cash vouchers and in-kind winterization support. They have also provided mental health and psychosocial support and case management assistance to hundreds of people,” Mr. Dujarric said.

More than one million people still require urgent shelter support, Mr. Dujarric said, underscoring the need for longer-term solutions such as home-repair tool kits, communal heating spaces and equipment to remove debris and rubble.

Whole generation at risk

Children remain among the hardest hit. According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the war has erased years of educational progress.

“Almost two and a half years of attacks on Gaza’s schooling have left an entire generation at risk,” UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said.

About 60 per cent of school-aged children have no access to in-person learning, and more than 90 per cent of schools have been damaged or destroyed.

UNICEF is expanding its Back to Learning programme to reach 336,000 children this year through temporary learning centres that also connect children to health, nutrition and sanitation services.

Mr. Elder also stressed the urgent need to reopen the Rafah border crossing, calling it a “lifeline” for medical evacuations, family reunification and essential services.

He said families across Gaza remain “desperate” for the crossing to reopen, warning that prolonged closures are compounding humanitarian suffering.