Over One Million Children in Gaza Need Food and Water: UNICEF

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has raised alarm over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where more than one million children are in urgent need of food, clean water, and medical care.

UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram said in an interview on Sunday that thousands of children go to bed hungry every night, and around 650,000 are still unable to return to school despite the recent ceasefire.

She described the truce as “good news,” saying it stopped the daily bombardments that were killing children, but warned that the ceasefire alone cannot end hunger or restore basic services.

“Families in Gaza are still struggling to survive. The infrastructure that once provided water, healthcare, and sanitation has been severely damaged,” Ingram said, adding that access to these essentials remains extremely limited.

While aid deliveries have slightly increased since the ceasefire began on October 10, Ingram said the amount is still far below what is needed and much less than pre-war levels.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 68,527 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza over the past two years, with thousands still missing under the rubble. More than two-thirds of the victims were women and children, officials said.

UNICEF and other humanitarian agencies continue to urge the international community to ensure unrestricted aid access and protection for vulnerable children and families in Gaza.