Gaza: Children are dying, temporary humanitarian pauses aren't enough to save them.

Only a permanent and unconditional ceasefire can truly save children's lives. Save the Children stated this in response to the temporary humanitarian pause announced to allow aid to enter Gaza.

“Every increase in ground aid has the potential to help people survive, especially children, thousands of whom otherwise risk dying after nearly five months of total siege, without receiving any assistance. However, the life-saving effectiveness of these suspensions will depend on their continuity and on the willingness of the Israeli authorities to ensure safe and logistically viable conditions for the distribution of aid to hungry children and families . The level of malnutrition and hunger that many people in Gaza are facing is so severe that one or even a few days of food aid will not be enough to avert the risk of death . Malnutrition can be prevented, treated, and we know how. Malnourished people, especially young children, need continued access to a varied diet, nutritional supplements, and sometimes specialized medical care, to reverse the damage that can still be reversed,” said Ahmad Alhendawi, Save the Children Regional Director for the Middle East, Eastern Europe and North Africa.

This pause comes too late for the 133 people, including 87 children, who have died from malnutrition and hunger since October 2023 , according to the Ministry of Health. Of these 87 children, at least seven have lost their lives in the last five days. Humanitarian organizations like Save the Children will do everything possible to ensure that aid arriving in Gaza reaches and saves the lives of the youngest children and their families. But a temporary pause is not enough. We need a permanent ceasefire and the restoration of conditions so that the humanitarian system can function fully and to its full capacity. Otherwise, the children rescued today may not live to see the next day. Until it is permanent, any pause offers the people of Gaza only a glimmer of hope, destined to be replaced by further horrors. Let us remember that hostilities have intensified between one pause and the next, and that the siege conditions were imposed after the end of the last pause, with the direct consequence of the famine we are witnessing in the Strip today. A temporary pause is psychologically tormenting for a population that has suffered relentless and violent mental harm for almost two years, giving them a glimpse of a chance of survival but in fact exploiting aid and humanitarian access,” concluded Ahmad Alhendawi.

AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana/LaPresse

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• Gaza
• war
• Gaza Strip