UNICEF Aid Flows Into Gaza After Ceasefire

UNICEF continues to ramp up delivery of humanitarian aid to children in dire circumstances. Safe, unrestricted access to all parts of the Gaza Strip is essential to reach every child.

The war has taken a terrible toll on Gaza’s children

After more than 15 months of war, news of a ceasefire and the release of hostages brought cheers from displaced children and families living in makeshift tents in Gaza, cut off from reliable access to water, sanitation, hygiene, nutrition, education or health care.

From the first minutes after the ceasefire was implemented on Jan. 19, 2025, dozens of UNICEF trucks entered the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing point, loaded with water, hygiene kits, nutrition, warm winter clothes and other critical humanitarian aid for children. Hundreds more stood at the ready, filled with lifesaving supplies.

Video: As children celebrate ceasefire news, UNICEF rushes critical aid

A complex humanitarian operation to rebuild Gaza’s future

UNICEF has more than 1,000 trucks in its pipeline at the moment, filled with more nutrition, water and sanitation (WASH), health, essential education and psychosocial supplies for children and families in urgent need.

The challenges are enormous: Families in Gaza have lost everything. Essential services have collapsed. UNICEF remains committed to doing whatever it takes for as long as it takes to deliver as much humanitarian aid as possible to children and help families rebuild their lives.

UNICEF aid delivery prioritizes children’s most urgent needs

In the first phase of the ceasefire, UNICEF is prioritizing urgent interventions benefitting children across several sectors. Some highlights include:

• Provision of safe water to 1 million people including 400,000 children for host community, IDP shelters, temporary learning centers and medical points through water production, water trucking and system repair
• Distribution of hygiene kits to 50,000 families most in need
• Repair of sewer networks and pumping stations, along with solid waste management and temporary waste dumping site operation
• Measles and polio vaccination catch-up for 320,000 children
• Awareness-raising for children and caregivers on the dangers of unexploded ordnance
• Family tracing services to reunite the estimated 17,000 children who have become separated from parents and caregivers during the war
• Enhanced neonatal care to improve health outcomes for newborns
• Rehabilitation services for children with amputations
• Screening of 320,000 children at risk of malnutrition and treatment of malnourished children identified during screening process
• Scale-up of humanitarian cash transfer program to reach one-third of Gaza’s population (750,000 people) — including at least 40,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women and 10,000 families with a disabled family member — to allow them to buy food, water and hygiene supplies when available in markets

Help UNICEF reach more children in need

A ceasefire agreement is a critical first step, but it must be upheld. It is crucial that the ceasefire removes the significant security and political obstacles to delivering aid across Gaza.

In the days, weeks and months to come, UNICEF and partners will continue to scale up the response. The parties to the conflict must ensure sustained, unimpeded access for humanitarian aid to reach every child, along with the safe release of all hostages.

Please donate today to help UNICEF scale support for children.

Video edited by Tong Su for UNICEF USA.