Children of the Gaza Crisis - Fact Sheet by Save the Children

Save the Children, Gaza Fact Sheet, January 6, 2009

Save the Children is calling for a peaceful solution to the current crisis that endangers the lives of nearly every child in Gaza, and the lives of Israeli children in areas subject to attacks. Save the Children is calling for a cessation of hostilities by all parties including air and ground assaults from Israel and rocket attacks from Gaza. The agency is also seeking free access for humanitarian assistance to allow aid agencies to provide much-needed relief to vulnerable children and so that children and their families can access essential services. Save the Children has reached some 6,000 people, including 3,000 children, in the first 10 days of the crisis, and we continue to strive to meet the needs of Gaza's vulnerable children and families.

Save the Children seeks to highlight the situation for children living in what the United Nations is calling “a humanitarian crisis coupled with a massive lack of protection for civilians.”

General

• The total population of Gaza is 1,417,000. (PCBS)
• The total number of children in Gaza is approximately 793,520, or 56% of the population. (PCBS) 
• There are a total of 1,048,125 refugees in Gaza, or 74% of the total population. Among them, approximately 586,950 are children. (UNRWA)

Child fatalities to date

• At least 101 children have been killed as a result of the Gaza conflict since it began 11 days ago. (Al Mezan)
• As of 5 January, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that at least 2,550 Palestinians have been injured, of whom 1,134 are children and women. (WHO)

Download the full 3-page fact sheet on GazaSiege.org