GAZA, (The Palestine Foundation Pakistan)
UNICEF has warned of the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, confirming that more than one million children continue to suffer from severe shortages of water and food, and that thousands of children go to sleep hungry every night despite the ongoing ceasefire agreement.
UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram said that while the ceasefire is “good news,” it is not enough to end hunger or ensure access to safe drinking water for families. She noted that water and healthcare infrastructure has been severely damaged, and families are struggling daily to survive amid the destruction of hospitals and the scarcity of supplies.
The organization added that although the entry of aid into the Strip has slightly increased since the truce began, it remains far below pre-war levels and does not meet the vast humanitarian needs.
UNICEF affirmed that thousands of children in Gaza continue to go to bed hungry or suffer pain in hospitals without adequate treatment, amid an acute shortage of doctors, medicines, and medical supplies.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced that it is continuing efforts to expand educational spaces within shelters across the Gaza Strip as part of a plan to gradually restore the educational process after the war.
The agency said that around 8,000 teachers have been trying since August 2024 to resume education despite the extensive destruction of schools and educational infrastructure in the Strip.
So far, UNRWA has established 485 temporary learning spaces in 67 shelters and is working to increase that number to ensure continued education for displaced children. It is also activating remote learning programs to reach more than 300,000 students across various areas of the Strip.
The agency explained that the few schools still usable are now sheltering hundreds of thousands of displaced people, making regular schooling extremely difficult under the current circumstances.
Despite the challenges, Palestinians continue their efforts to gradually restore education through makeshift classroom tents and volunteer initiatives, striving to keep hope for learning alive amid the siege and devastation.
