Article published in the Jakarta Post on 22 January 2026.
An eight-monthold baby has just died from hypothermia in Gaza. Another avoidable tragedy. Another number to add to the more than 20,000 children killed in direct conflict and tens of thousands that have lost their lives, limbs and futures in a brutal two-year conflict.
The ceasefire agreement in October and subsequent peace efforts offer a glimmer of hope to the estimated two million people that remain in Gaza. But as storms and floods lash the Strip in a harsh winter, that promise is curdling. Israeli authorities are not just maintaining their blockade on aid but entrenching it by seeking to ban many international NGOs delivering aid. This will have a serious impact on essential services and put lives at imminent risk.
The ceasefire plan called for 600 humanitarian aid trucks to enter Gaza daily, the bare minimum needed to help families start the process of recovery and rebuilding. Over the last twelve weeks, an average of just 120 trucks a day have been entering through the UN-led humanitarian system. Meanwhile, tents, medical supplies, and other essentials sit in warehouses a few miles away from the people that need them.
This is not inevitable. The first three weeks of the pause in hostilities in January 2025 saw a dramatic surge with 10,000 aid trucks entering at a rate of almost 500 a day. We saw how aid can be delivered effectively and at scale in Gaza. It was not a question of logistics, but of political will.
In March, Israeli authorities followed this brief respite by turning off the aid taps once more. They imposed a total siege as air strikes rained terror on children and families.
Whilst the number of aid trucks is ultimately an arbitrary target, it paints a damning picture of a deliberate policy by the Israeli authorities to blockade Gaza - and of an international community who cannot or will not do anything to stop it.
Meanwhile, conditions on the ground remain unbearable. Children are sleeping on bare, sewage-soaked ground in flimsy clothes, with severe shortages of blankets, mattresses, warm clothing, and safe shelter.
Save the Children has served Palestinian children and their families for over seven decades - we will continue to do so.
We recognise there have been efforts by the international partners to secure increased aid into Gaza. However, it is now clear that these efforts are failing.
The barrier remains the Israeli policy, stretching back almost 20 years, to use humanitarian access as an instrument of occupation. Today, the Israeli authorities continue to systematically obstruct the movement of basic goods with restrictions, arbitrary denials and bureaucratic impediments. The reality is that so long as Israel retains its grip on the aid system, little will change.
A new approach is required. We must replace the current system of Israeli authority checks and screenings with an independent, internationally supported arrangement managed outside of Israeli control. This will complement the overall UN-led system which should remain responsible for coordinating all humanitarian planning and delivery for Gaza.
Continued Israeli blockage of items deemed ‘dual use’ prevents the entry of basics like tent poles, sanitation and hygiene supplies, and all heavy machinery needed for the removal of rubble and waste. New arrangements for processing and verification, including a pre-approved list of humanitarian supplies, should be established to end the ‘dual use’ excuse.
Humanitarian supplies must be able to move at scale across all the border crossings into Gaza, including the Jordan Corridor and the Cyprus Maritime Corridor. The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza is particularly critical. It must be managed and supervised by international partners as envisaged under the ‘Gaza peace plan’ enshrined in UN Security Council resolution 2803.
This new approach - “Lifeline Gaza” - would ensure children and families have sustained, unimpeded access to food, medical supplies, shelter and services at the scale needed without the constant threat of politically motivated interference from Israeli authorities, or worse, the reimposition of total siege. It would facilitate recovery, long-term reconstruction, and stabilisation efforts.
Without this, there can be no progress towards the objectives of lasting peace. Without a dramatic improvement in basic living conditions, the International Stabilization Force will not be able to deliver stability for desperate people. And the ‘Board of Peace’ will not be able to lay the foundations for sustainable peace for Palestinians and Israelis or protect the right of Palestinians to self-determination.
Without “Lifeline Gaza”, Palestinians who have been bombed, displaced and starved by design for the past two years, their homes and communities wiped off the map will continue to be denied the means of life. And Israel's partners will remain complicit in the suffering inflicted on Palestinian children.
