Occupied Palestinian Territory
Since 1953, we've been working for children's rights in the occupied Palestinian territory.
What we are witnessing there is not only an unprecedented humanitarian crisis but is also consistent with the UN Commission of Inquiry's conclusion of genocide.
As this living nightmare 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 two years of conflict, more than 20,000 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, with life expectancy plummeting from 75.5 years to just 40.6 years.
Almost 1 million children live in Gaza. Many have already lived through multiple conflicts.
Nearly two and a half years into the war, children in our child-friendly spaces are playing games they call "war" - re-enacting bombings, pretending to throw missiles, acting out being dead. This is what prolonged exposure to extreme violence does to children. Save the Children has reached nearly 15,000 children through mental health and psychosocial support programmes in Gaza since October 2023 - but the need vastly outstrips what we can currently provide.
Families are being forced to eat animal feed and leaves to survive. The blocking of aid and goods by Israeli authorities - including through the deregistration of international NGOs and restrictions on shelter essentials like timber, tent poles and tools - is catastrophic. Every day aid is prevented from entering is another day children go without food and clean water.
2.1 million people need assistance, half of them are children.
The situation in the West Bank
The crisis is not limited to Gaza. In the West Bank, the situation has deteriorated sharply.
Increased Israeli military operations, road closures, checkpoint restrictions and a significant rise in settler violence are threatening children's physical and psychological safety every day. Palestinian families are living under constant threat - homes burned, livestock destroyed, and children reporting being harassed and attacked on their way to school. Since February 2025, sweeping movement restrictions have severely limited access to healthcare and education, and every school in affected areas moved to online learning.
Children like Khalid*, 15, from south of the West Bank, have been shot by settlers in their own villages. Save the Children's partners are providing him with child protection, wellbeing and psychosocial support services.
The proposed death penalty legislation affecting people in detention - which does not provide an explicit exclusion for children - is another serious concern. The bill lowers the threshold required for a death sentence and eliminates the possibility of pardon or commutation of the sentence in certain cases.
Our work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
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 place to play, receive psychosocial support and escape the traumatic experiences they're enduring
provide primary healthcare and maternal and newborn care, and screen and treat children for acute malnutrition
deliver non-formal education programmes in the West Bank, reaching displaced children whose access to school has been disrupted
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*.
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 whose 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 April 2026
Frequently asked questions
-
What is Save the Children doing in the occupied Palestinian territory?
-
Save the Children has worked in Gaza and the West Bank since 1953. We provide cash assistance, primary healthcare, maternal and newborn care, child-friendly spaces with psychosocial support, and non-formal education programmes for displaced children. We also advocate for children's rights and a lasting ceasefire.
-
What is happening to children in the West Bank?
-
Children in the West Bank face increased settler violence, military operations, road closures and checkpoint restrictions. Many have been unable to reach school. Save the Children and its partners provide child protection services, education support and psychosocial care to children and families affected by displacement and violence.
