Children and their families living in the Occupied Palestinian Territory of Gaza are facing particularly hard times this year. Because of ongoing conflict in the region, Israel began limiting its fuel supply to Gaza in early 2007. This means that families have limited power and running water in their homes and hospitals are run on emergency generators. School supplies, building materials and even food are also no longer regularly distributed. UNICEF and its partners have stepped up to try and fill this gap by distributing safe drinking water, medical supplies, and education and recreation kits.
In the pictures below, meet some of the children of Gaza.
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| © UNICEF/ HQ08-0198 |
| Above, a father and three of his children sit in the window of their destroyed home in the southern city of Rafah. They would like to return permanently and rebuild their former home, but under the current restrictions, no building materials are allowed into the territory. |
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| © UNICEF/ HQ08-0188 |
| Mahmoud, 4, is held by his mother at Al Nasser Hospital in the Rimal area of Gaza City. The room is cold due to the fuel blockade. Mahmoud is receiving oxygen at the hospital for an immune disorder, but his health is deteriorating, as the sanctions have prevented his getting essential medicines and milk. UNICEF supports the hospital’s neonatal unit with equipment, medical supplies and staff training. |
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| © UNICEF/ HQ08-0197 |
| The 15-member Zworb family sit bundled around candlelight in the dark. Due to the fuel blockade, most families experience power outages for up to eight hours a day. |
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| © UNICEF/ HQ08-0197 |
| Ibrahim Abdul Salem Harara attends first grade at Omar Bin Abdul Aziz Boys’ School. The room is cold and dark due to the fuel blockade, and Ibrahim wears a sweater and gloves. Behind him, the window is covered with metal blinds to protect against incoming munitions. |
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| © UNICEF/ HQ08-0180 |
| A boy is assessed by a woman health worker at Atfaluna (‘Our Children’) Society for Deaf Children, a local NGO in Gaza City. The organization offers education and vocational training, as well as free health care, psychosocial services and eventual job placement. The school, established in 1992 by women health care and education professionals, is the only one of its kind in the Gaza Strip. |