The UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Edouard Beigbeder, has expressed deep concern over the dire conditions facing Palestinian children following his four-day mission to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
“Some children live with tremendous fear or anxiety; others face the real consequences of deprivation of humanitarian assistance and protection, displacement, destruction or death,” said Beigbeder. “All children must be protected,” Beigbeder stated in a press release. Nearly all 2.4 million children across Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem are suffering in some form—whether from fear, displacement, lack of humanitarian assistance, or the devastating effects of war.
Israel continues to block vital aid from reaching Gaza, leaving approximately one million children without the essentials needed for survival. Among the stalled aid are 180,000 doses of routine vaccines—sufficient to immunise 60,000 children under two—as well as 20 lifesaving ventilators for neonatal intensive care units.
While UNICEF successfully delivered 30 CPAP respiratory machines to assist newborns suffering from acute respiratory distress, the withheld ventilators remain critical for infants in need of advanced respiratory support. The organisation estimates that around 4,000 newborns currently lack essential medical care due to the destruction of Gaza’s health facilities by Israel.
Beigbeder warned that every day without these ventilators, lives are lost. He stressed that delays in aid deliveries could worsen the humanitarian crisis.
Beigbeder also highlighted the impact of the war on essential services. The UNICEF-supported water desalination plant in Khan Younis, the only facility to receive electricity since November 2024, has now been disconnected. It is operating at just 13 per cent capacity, leaving hundreds of thousands without safe drinking water or sanitation.
The crisis extends to the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, where violence has escalated. According to reports, more than 200 Palestinian and three Israeli children have been killed since October 2023, marking the highest recorded child death toll in the region in two decades. Additionally, over 35,000 people in northern West Bank cities like Jenin have been forcibly displaced, while nearly 12,000 children face severe disruptions to their education.
UNICEF is working to repair water infrastructure, provide mental health support, establish learning centres, and advocate for humanitarian access, but Beigbeder stressed that these efforts alone are not enough.
