Since 1953, we’ve been working for children’s rights in Gaza and the West Bank.
As the war in Gaza continues, our teams and their families are facing unimaginable challenges—working tirelessly amid constant danger to deliver life-saving aid to children and families in desperate need.
The Impact On Children
Children are always the most vulnerable in every conflict.
They are terrified, have been forced from their homes, and are cut off from an education.
In over 16 months of conflict, more than 18,000 children have been killed. Many more have died from hunger and disease.
In 2024, Gaza became the deadliest place on earth to be a child. Life expectancy plummeted from 75.5 years in 2023 to just 40.6 years. Behind these appalling statistics are the stories of individual children—buried under rubble, cut off from their families, alone and afraid. Survivors face constant hunger, horrific violence, and the trauma of losing loved ones.
Almost 1 million children live in Gaza. Many have already lived through multiple conflicts.
The blocking of aid and goods by Israeli authorities has had catastrophic consequences. Every day that aid is prevented from entering is an other day that children go without food and clean water.
Gaza is now on the brink of famine. The humanitarian situation is dire: 2.45 million people need assistance, 1.2 million of them are children.
Our work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Save the Children has been working in Gaza and the West Bank since 1953. Thanks to your support, we’ve been able to:
Save the Children staff who visited northern Gaza on a scoping and security mission shared photos of the destruction.
Save the Children has been working in Gaza and the West Bank since 1953. Thanks to your support, we’ve been able to:
- provide thousands of families in Gaza with cash, so they can buy food and any other essentials
- run child friendly spaces to ensure children have a safe space to play, receive psychosocial support and escape from the traumatic experiences they’re enduring
- provide primary healthcare and maternal and newborn care and we’re screening and treating children for acute malnutrition through our health programming
Rami's story
Jamal* (35) with his children Rami* (7) Sana* (10) & Samira* (12) all suffered from blast injuries in Gaza
In 2024, seven-year-old Rami* and his family were sheltering in their home in Nuseirat, central Gaza, when a bomb struck. The explosion killed five members of their extended family and left Rami and his immediate family with devastating injuries.
The hospital conditions in Gaza were dire. Rami's father, Jamal* received 40–50 stitches to his face and head without anaesthetic. He described scenes of chaos, with people lining up for surgery as if queuing for bread.
After 19 days in hospital, the family managed to escape to Egypt, thanks to Jamal and his mother’s Moroccan citizenship. But not everyone made it out—Jamal’s father and sisters remain in Gaza, facing escalating violence.
Now in Cairo, the family is receiving urgent medical care. Save the Children’s health team is supporting them with physiotherapy, hearing aids, and specialist treatment for Rami’s leg. While their physical wounds are beginning to heal, the emotional scars of war remain deep.
It's crucial to take action today. Please donate now and help children like Rami*.
Demand Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy take urgent action for children in Gaza and the West Bank
Now is the time to speak out. Call on Keir Starmer and David Lammy to end the UK Government’s complicity in the atrocities unfolding in Gaza and the West Bank.
Gaza is the deadliest place in the world to be a child. Over 18,000 children have been killed, and many more are dying from starvation due to Israel’s blockade on aid. Survivors face famine, with children saying they want to go to heaven—because at least there, there’s food.
Massacres at food distribution points are now daily. As of July 13th, the UN confirmed 875 Palestinians were killed while seeking food. Aid is ready but blocked at the border. In the West Bank, children face home demolitions, detention, and settler violence. The crisis is spreading.
Despite this, the UK continues to license arms exports and provide diplomatic cover to Israel. You cannot call for peace while fueling war.
Starmer and Lammy must uphold international law, end the siege, and hold Israel accountable. A lasting peace – for both Palestinians and Israelis – will only be possible if there is justice.
A boy stands before an impact crater at the site of a building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 8, 2024. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)
Standing Up For Children's Rights
Children’s safety is in danger every day. Consistent breaches of their most basic rights lead to hundreds of children being detained or having their homes destroyed.
We stand up for children’s rights and work to protect children from violence and abuse. In the West Bank, we’ve helped over 900 children rehabilitate after being arrested or detained. Together with partners we also support families who homes have been demolished.
Read our reports ‘Defenceless’ and 'Hope Under The Rubble' to learn more about the impact of Israeli military actions on Palestinian children.
Page last updated July 2025.
