UNICEF: over a million children in Gaza urgently need water and food

Tess Ingram, spokesperson for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that more than one million children in the Gaza Strip are still in urgent need of water and food. Meanwhile, 650,000 children need to return to school, while thousands go to bed hungry every night.

UNICEF: one million children in Gaza need water

In an interview with Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, Ingram added that the ceasefire, which came into effect on 10 October 2025 between Hamas and Israel, is ‘good news’ in terms of stopping the daily bombardment, but ‘not enough to ensure a normal life for children or provide safe drinking water for families.’

She explained that water and healthcare infrastructure had been severely damaged by Israel’s genocide, making access to basic services extremely difficult, and that the amount of humanitarian aid that had entered the sector after the ceasefire ‘remains below the required level,’ noting that a rapid and large influx of aid is necessary to prevent children from dying of malnutrition, disease or hypothermia.

Ingram called on the Israeli authorities to open all crossings into Gaza to ensure that humanitarian support can effectively reach all deprived areas.

She stressed that the ceasefire had not completely changed the lives of children, noting their continued daily suffering, the shortage of medicines and doctors in hospitals, the impact on the education system, and the delayed return of 650,000 children to school.

Ingram concluded by saying that the international community’s failure to take advantage of the ceasefire to save children and prevent their suffering is ‘heartbreaking,’ calling for global efforts to help Gaza’s children recover from the two-year humanitarian disaster, which has killed more than 68,000 people, injured more than 170,000, destroyed about 90% of civilian infrastructure, and caused an estimated $70 billion in economic losses.

Featured image via the Canary