Children in Gaza and West Bank face new dangers as winter approaches

Vatican News UNICEF has launched an appeal for US$97.5 million to support some 540,000 children and their families across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank during the coming winter. The United Nations Children’s Fund said families are expected to face freezing temperatures, heavy rains, flooding and other potentially life-threatening conditions. In Gaza, nearly 84 per cent of the population — more than 1.76 million people — remain in overcrowded displacement sites or damaged and inadequate shelters, according to UNICEF. Such conditions leave families with limited protection from cold weather and rainfall. The risks are particularly acute for children. Infants, toddlers and children with chronic health conditions are more vulnerable to hypothermia, respiratory infections, waterborne diseases and other illnesses associated with exposure to cold and inadequate living conditions.

UNICEF said that at least 11 children, including infants, reportedly died from hypothermia in the Gaza Strip during the previous winter. The agency stressed that timely assistance could help prevent further deaths and illness. “For hundreds of thousands of children, winter is not just a seasonal hardship; the winter months pose an additional threat to their survival, safety, and well-being,” said Jonathan Veitch, UNICEF Special Representative in the State of Palestine. Children killed in collapse of war-damaged building The warning comes as rescue operations continue to face