UN says 'fragile' Gaza ceasefire bringing hope for children but crisis remains deadly

The UN said Monday that a "fragile" ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is beginning to ease the humanitarian catastrophe for children but warned that the situation remains "extremely precarious and deadly."

Speaking at a news conference in UN headquarters after his latest visit to Gaza and the occupied West Bank, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban said "I am speaking to you with both hope and concern after this visit," following a weeklong mission with World Food Program (WFP) Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau.

"For the first time in many months, there are signs that an imperfect, fragile but vital ceasefire is making a difference in the lives of over one million children," Chaiban said.

He said more truckloads of lifesaving aid are entering Gaza, though "not yet sufficiently to meet the magnitude of needs" and that "the food security situation has improved, and famine has been reversed."

Chaiban said UNICEF and its partners have reached more than 1.6 million people with clean drinking water and 700,000 people with blankets and winter clothes and have restored pediatric intensive care services at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.

"These gains matter. They show what is possible when the fighting pauses, political commitment is sustained, and humanitarian access opens," he said.

Warning that more than 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire of early October, he said: "Despite the progress with food security, 100,000 children remain acutely malnourished and require long-term care."

He said 1.3 million people are in urgent need of proper shelter and that families are living in tents and bombed-out buildings amid winter storms.

"Tragically, we received reports of at least 10 children dying of hypothermia since winter started," he said.

Expressing concern over Israel's de-registration of international NGOs, he warned that it "risks undermining humanitarian operations and sharply limiting the delivery and scale-up of lifesaving assistance across Gaza and the West Bank."

Noting the importance of keeping the ceasefire in place, he also said that "Phase 2 is not just a political milestone but a humanitarian necessity."

He called for more crossings to be opened, safe movement for civilians, and the reopening of the Rafah corridor for two-way traffic.

"All available crossings must operate simultaneously, with safe corridors via Jordan and Egypt," he said.

On governance and recovery, Chaiban said the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza "represents a real opportunity to improve humanitarian access and move towards early recovery and reconstruction if it is fully operationalized and supported, giving Palestinians agency to the road ahead."

He said humanitarian operations need predictability, adding that essential items for water and sanitation, including so-called "dual-use items," and education supplies "need to be allowed in."

"The children of Gaza and the State of Palestine, including the West Bank, which is also experiencing a wave of violence, do not need sympathy. They need decisions now that give them warmth, safety, food, education and a future," he said, urging the international community to seize the window of opportunity to "change the trajectory" for children in Gaza.

In virtual remarks, WFP's Skau said Gaza was "on the brink of famine" when he last visited in July, calling it "one of the worst crises I have ever seen."

"So last week, Ted and I saw a somewhat different picture, of course. The ceasefire has allowed us to scale up and stabilize the most acute levels of hunger and nutrition. Famine has been reined in," Skau said.

He said WFP is now reaching more than one million people every month with full rations, serving 400,000 hot meals daily and delivering school snacks to 230,000 children.

But he cautioned that "there is still a very long way to go," warning that gains could be reversed and that hundreds of thousands remain displaced in dangerous conditions.

"So an entire population is now living on the brink, and frankly, having an entire population living on the brink is just not acceptable," Skau said.

He called for predictable and safe operating conditions, crossings to remain open at scale, and urgent action "to really flood the Strip with shelter, to give families protection against the biting cold and driving rains."