Two senior officials from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) reported on Monday following a week-long visit to Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Since the truce on October 10 between Israel and Hamas, the two agencies have delivered more than 10,000 aid trucks to Gaza, making up 80% of humanitarian cargo.
Famine Reversed
Three months in, “the food security situation has improved and famine has been reversed,” stated Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director. Carl Skau, WFP Deputy Executive Director, mentioned that most families he encountered were eating at least once a day. Gaza’s markets now have commercial goods like vegetables, fruits, chicken, and eggs. Children have received recreational kits to recover from war stress and trauma.
‘These Gains Matter’
Over 1.6 million people have received clean drinking water, and 700,000 have been given blankets and winter clothing by UNICEF and partners. Essential pediatric intensive care services have been restored at Al Shifa Hospital. A new round of childhood vaccinations is in progress, and 72 more UNICEF-supported nutrition facilities have been established, totaling 196.
“These gains matter,” stated Mr. Chaiban. “They show what is possible when fighting pauses, political commitments are sustained, and humanitarian access opens.”
Hot Meals and School Snacks
WFP has significantly scaled up operations, reaching over a million people monthly with full rations. They serve 400,000 hot meals daily and provide school snacks to 230,000 children in 250 temporary learning centers. Additionally, they operate hundreds of distribution points and about 20 warehouses.
Other humanitarian organizations are bringing in essentials such as tents and blankets, thanks to WFP’s logistics services. The agency also facilitates regular aid convoys and expands common storage facilities for aid positioning. Cash support reaches about 60,000 households.
Situation Still Deadly
Despite more aid entering Gaza, it is insufficient for the immense needs. “The situation also remains extremely precarious and deadly for many children,” said Mr. Chaiban. Over 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the October ceasefire. Despite food security progress, 100,000 children remain acutely malnourished and need long-term care. 1.3 million people, many of them children, urgently need shelter.
Families endure harsh conditions in makeshift tents and bombed-out buildings in freezing temperatures, which have killed at least 10 children this winter. Mr. Sklau met a young woman with a newborn in a cold, wet tent on the beach, describing the situation as “absolutely brutal.”
Hopes for a Brighter Future
Hope is emerging in Gaza. UNICEF and partners help over 250,000 children to resume learning, providing critical mental health and psychosocial support for more than 700,000 students out of school for two years. Mr. Skau mentioned young girls at a temporary learning space were happy to learn and eat regularly, envisioning futures as professionals.
Change the Trajectory
Humanitarian needs include water, sanitation, and educational supplies to enter Gaza to aid recovery and reconstruction. Mr. Chaiban noted WFP and UNICEF’s preparedness to scale up operations.
“The children of Gaza and the State of Palestine, including the West Bank experiencing violence, need decisions now for warmth, safety, food, education, and a future,” he said. “We have an opportunity to change the trajectory for these children. We can’t waste it.”
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