Press release
Risk of famine for children across Gaza, new report says
ROME/NEW YORK, 12 May 2025 –, Populations across the Gaza Strip are at risk of famine as fighting has surged again, border crossings are still closed, and food is dangerously scarce. Hunger and malnutrition have intensified sharply since all aid was blocked from entering on 2 March, reversing the clear humanitaria...
Statement
World must act with urgency to save Palestinians in Gaza
NEW YORK, AMMAN, COPENHAGEN, GENEVA, ROME, 7 April 2025 - ", For over a month, no commercial or humanitarian supplies have entered Gaza. "More than 2.1 million people are trapped, bombed and starved again, while, at crossing points, food, medicine, fuel and shelter supplies are piling up, and vital equipment is st...
Press release
More than a million children in the Gaza Strip deprived of lifesaving aid for over one month
AMMAN, 5 April 2025 – , The blockade of humanitarian aid is having terrible consequences for one million children in the Gaza Strip. No aid has been allowed into the Gaza Strip since 2 March 2025 – representing the longest period of aid blockage since the start of the war – leading to shortages of food, safe water...
Press release
At least 322 children reportedly killed in the Gaza Strip following breakdown of ceasefire
NEW YORK/AMMAN, 31 March 2025, – The breakdown of the ceasefire and resumption of intense bombardments and ground operations in the Gaza Strip has reportedly left at least 322 children dead and 609 injured – constituting a daily average of around 100 children killed or maimed over the past 10 days. Most of these c...
Statement
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on the attacks in Gaza
NEW YORK, 18 March 2025, – “Reports and images emerging from the Gaza Strip following today’s attacks are beyond horrifying. Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed, including more than 130 children, representing one of the largest single-day child death toll in the last year. “Some of the strikes reported...
Statement
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on the announcement of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip
NEW YORK, 15 January 2025 –, “UNICEF welcomes the announcement today of a ceasefire deal between the parties to the conflict in the Gaza Strip. This is long overdue for the children and families of Gaza who have endured more than a year of bombardment and deprivation, and for the hostages in Gaza and their families in Israel who have suffered so much. “The war has exacted a…
Press release
‘Not the new normal’ – 2024 'one of the worst years in UNICEF’s history' for children in conflict
NEW YORK, 28 December 2024 –, The impact of armed conflicts on children around the world reached devastating and likely record levels in 2024, according to a review by UNICEF of the latest available data and prevailing global trends. More children than ever are estimated to be either living in conflict zones or fo...
Statement
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on the situation in Lebanon
NEW YORK, 30 September 2024, – “I am deeply concerned by the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Lebanon. Over the last week, at least 80 children have reportedly been killed in attacks, while hundreds more have been injured. According to Government reports, the number of people internally displaced by the violence has spiked to more than 1 million – including…
Statement
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on military operations and border closures in Rafah, Gaza
NEW YORK, 9 May 2024 –, “The humanitarian response of UNICEF and our partners — and thus the lives of all the children and their families in the Gaza Strip who depend on it — requires fuel. We need fuel to move lifesaving supplies – medicine, treatments for malnutrition, tents and water pipes – as well as staff t...
Press release
There is ‘nowhere safe to go’ for the 600,000 children of Rafah, warns UNICEF
NEW YORK, 06 MAY 2024, – With the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip continuing to deteriorate, UNICEF is warning that a military besiegement and ground incursion in Rafah would pose catastrophic risks to the 600,000 children currently taking shelter in the enclave. Following October evacuation orders...
Press release
Preventing famine and deadly disease outbreaks in Gaza requires faster, safer aid access and more supply routes
ROME/GENEVA/NEW YORK, 14 January 2023, – As the risk of famine grows, and more people are exposed to deadly disease outbreaks, a fundamental step change in the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza is urgently needed, United Nations agencies warned today. The heads of the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) say that getting enough supplies into and…
Statement
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on the resumption of fighting in Gaza
NEW YORK, 1 December 2023, – “Today, the Gaza Strip is once again the most dangerous place in the world to be a child. After seven days of respite from horrific violence, fighting has resumed. More children will surely die as a result. “Before the pause, more than 5,300 Palestinian children were reportedly killed...