Saving Lives Amid Blockades: How Save the Children brought hope to Gaza

Since August 2024, families across Gaza have faced an escalating humanitarian crisis and extreme food shortages. With flour supplies running dangerously low and bakeries unable to operate, many households were left without even the most basic staples to feed their children. As hunger levels increased, parents were left anxious and struggling to find ways to feed their families, while children endured the hardship of going to bed without a meal. In response, Save the Children International launched an urgent operation to deliver lifesaving food aid to the most vulnerable communities in northern and southern Gaza.

6,000 food parcels, funded by the Japan Platform (JPF) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), were procured from the West Bank. Each parcel, containing 27 essential items, such as cheese, fava beans, hummus, beans, tuna, and canned meat, was carefully designed in coordination with partners to provide critical sustenance for families struggling to survive.

Initially, the plan was to prioritise northern Gaza, where the independent Famine Review Committee (FRC) said that famine is either imminent or likely already occurring in the area. However, with the closure of the Erez crossing and the ongoing siege by Israeli forces in northern Gaza, access to deliver aid there has been restricted since September 2024 and we were only able to deliver 1,000 parcels after a month of numerous attempts to get the food into Gaza.

Recognising the urgent risk of famine throughout Gaza, Save the Children made the hard decision to reroute the remaining 5,000 parcels to southern Gaza, where we are seeing a stark increase in the number of households experiencing severe hunger in central and southern Gaza. They finally arrived in November 2024 after weeks of logistical hurdles.  To ensure that the food parcels reached families in need we needed to take some calculated risks while also putting in place safeguards to significantly reduce the risk of looting and ensure the safe delivery of the parcels.

The distribution process was carefully planned and implemented in collaboration with our local partner BLDA, ensuring that aid reached families in areas most at risk of severe hunger, prioritising those facing the harshest conditions in 18 informal shelters in southern Gaza. For many families, the food parcels became a vital lifeline, providing enough to meet their basic needs for weeks. This support offered essential relief from the overwhelming and constant struggle to survive amidst the crisis. Our child protection staff were also at the distribution to monitor and refer cases to receive child protection services. 

Leila*, 48, a mother of three children told us that "the food parcel came at the exact moment we needed it the most. My children hadn’t eaten anything for days, and your support brought us hope. It’s more than just food; it’s a lifeline for my family."

While the aid provided temporary relief, it underscored the ongoing need for support. Families expressed their gratitude but also their fears about what would happen once the food ran out.

These stories underscore the critical role of timely assistance in providing not only sustenance but also in providing a renewed sense of hope during the most challenging times. 

Save the Children’s response highlighted the importance of adaptability and determination in the face of immense challenges in delivering humanitarian need to children and their families who need it most. Despite logistical barriers and the volatile environment, our teams successfully delivered critical aid while maintaining the trust and respect of the communities it served. We are continually monitoring the situation and mitigating risks to the full extent of our capacity to do so. 

The current situation in Gaza is alarming, with acute shortages of essential food items, high prices, the depletion of staples like flour, and limited cash flow severely undermining the ability of vulnerable households to meet their basic needs. These overlapping crises are driving a rapid deterioration in food security, increasing vulnerabilities, and compounding humanitarian needs. If left unaddressed, the impact on already fragile communities, families and children will be devastating. 

There is an urgent need for a ceasefire, the mobilisation of resources, and to implement coordinated humanitarian action to ensure lifesaving assistance reaches those most affected and to prevent further suffering. Now is the time to act decisively and in solidarity to uphold the rights and dignity of those at risk.