Plan International Australia Media Release
While today’s agreement offers a moment of hope for children who have been suffering unimaginable loss for over 15 months, we must remember that the situation for children in Gaza remains bleak. At least 17,580 children and 12,050 women have been killed[1] in just 15 months in Gaza and over 21,000 children in Gaza have sustained conflict-related injuries – with 5,230 children (25 per cent)[2] requiring significant rehabilitation with a high likelihood of disability.
Over 46,707[3] people have been killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023, with the actual number of deaths believed to be much higher, as thousands of people remain buried in the rubble of decimated homes, hospitals, and schools. Food, water, safe shelter, healthcare and other essentials are in desperately short supply after the targeting of civilian infrastructure. Action must go beyond the immediate end of violence. Immediate and unhindered humanitarian access to all areas of Gaza is critical to address these vital needs.
The scale of the crisis in Gaza has left children and their families facing devastating challenges. The destruction of homes, infrastructure, hospitals, schools, and essential services by the Israeli military has left Gaza in an unliveable condition. The few remaining hospitals are only partially operational, significantly understaffed, overwhelmed with critical patients, and medical supplies are dangerously low, putting children at risk of untreated injuries, preventable diseases, long-term mental health and psychosocial impacts and disability.
In addition to the medical crisis, the destruction of schools and the displacement of civilians means that countless children are separated from their families, caregivers and friends and are left without access to education or safe spaces to play, heal and learn. Rebuilding educational infrastructure must be a key focus, as it provides not just learning, but a pathway to cope and heal during this traumatic time.
The complete destruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza has a catastrophic impact on Palestinians, in particular the destruction of water and sanitation systems has left children exceptionally vulnerable to life threatening waterborne diseases, such as diarrhoea and cholera. Restoring clean water access and sanitation must be a top priority to avoid further health emergencies and preventable deaths of thousands of children.
Equally important is the need for immediate and wide-scale mental health support. Many children in Gaza, including thousands of orphaned or separated children, have experienced or witnessed extreme violence for over 15 months. Psychosocial services must be expanded immediately to help children begin to recover from the psychological scars of horrendous hostilities. Children who have sustained blast injuries and disabilities arising from shrapnel, burns and fallen buildings with no surviving family members require special attention.
The international community must prioritise the immediate humanitarian needs of Palestinian children and their families. Although the ceasefire is a crucial first step, the needs of Gaza’s children will not disappear once the hostilities stop. The international community must come together to support Gaza, ensuring that children’s rights to health, education, and safety are prioritised. These efforts must be part of a broader commitment to peace, justice, and lasting stability.
All civilian hostages in Gaza must be released immediately. We also renew our call for the immediate release of all children who have been abducted or detained by Israeli forces, and for a full and impartial investigation into the conditions they have faced in detention camps.
Plan International urges all governments, international organisations, and humanitarian agencies to prioritise the needs of Gaza’s children. We continue to call for all governments to cease the transfer of weapons, parts and ammunition while there is a risk they will be used to violate international humanitarian or human rights law.
The survival and future of Palestinian children in Gaza depends on our prompt collective action and meeting their humanitarian needs and is an essential step towards building a lasting and just peace in the region.
[1] https://pmo.pna.ps/en/Article/5543/Situation-Report-18-Occupied-Palestine-23-December-%E2%80%93-30-December-2024-(until-1000-AM)
[2] https://www.savethechildren.net/news/gaza-explosive-weapons-left-15-children-day-potentially-lifelong-disabilities-2024
[3] https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/jan/15/israel-gaza-war-live-ceasefire-hostage-deal-benjamin-netanyahu-hamas
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The lingering effects of this war means the suffering will not just go away.
Gaza is a wasteland, the effects of starvation induced by the with holding of basic supplies will have long lasting health issues.
Palestinian suffering will continue.
As long as the war criminal Netanyahu remains in place there is little cause for celebration. Rumours of a ‘win’ are premature.
As we comment from a safe place,Israel has ramped up it’s bombardment…just in case they’ve missed someone.”Peace in our time” someone said, and he was dead wrong too.
If there was any doubt that Israel had been using starvation of civilians as a war strategy, national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has clearly stated that his party, Jewish Power, will only support the Netanyahu government if it resumes the war and cuts off all humanitarian aid to Gaza. He has said today if that does not happen he will resign from the coalition.
Among the charges levelled against Netanyahu by the ICC is the war crime of “intentionally using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare” or the practice of denying civilians sustenance.
No doubt the ICC have taken this strategy of collective punishment into account in their prosecution of the Israeli administration.
In commentary on another article, Lucy’s on Moira what’s her name in Victoria, the question of Judeochristian values was raised. The Judeo part of that deals with the Old Testament values, such as the Ten Commandments and the laws and behaviours which come from that.
Again it is interesting to ask who those laws are for.
Netanyahu used the texts from the book of Exodus to outline the case for Israel’s defense of its lands…. shortly after the issuing of the commands, the Israelites were instructed to kill every liveing being that stood in their way while traversing the Sinai desert, and forty years later, that instruction was given for the destruction of all life in the city of Jericho, except for ‘Rahab and her family’.
The Palestinians stand in the way of Israelis occupying ‘the promised land’, a promise which forms the mythology of the chosen people, the chosen-ness allowing the genocide of any people who stand in the way of realising that ‘promise’.
This ceasefire is not the end of the war on the Palestinians, just a short, six week deep breath intake before hostilities recommence of this war which was planned late in the 19th century, endorsed through the Balfour declaration and formally started with Israeli terrorist attacks on the occupying British and then the destruction of Palestinian villages in 1948. The aim is not just to shut down Hamas, the aim is the complete occupation of the biblical land of Israel, that includes Gaza, The West Bank and the Golan Heights.
The Zioists government of Israel will not stop until those objectives are met.
I say this with some confidence, having worked with teenagers for 45 years, some with very challenging backgrounds and home lives.
Netanyahu and his right wing mates may believe that they have “won”, but in reality he has delayed the inevitable. He has created a legacy of homeless youth with no future and a destroyed past.
Where does he think these young adults – dare I say it, given various social constructs, that this may apply mostly to young men – will go.
I’ll be very certain that they will not go towards Israel which has destroyed their lives. They will instead be led to other groups who promise them 1) hope, 2) food and shelter, 3) a better life 4) revenge and 5) purpose.
One guess who these “other groups” will be. They may well be hiding in the shadows now, but that won’t last for long in my opinion. Israel has created the Palestine that exists today and in the end they will wear that.
I’ll put money on the destruction of Gaza to continue even if/when the hostages are released.
Do I excuse or agree with the original violence and hostage taking? No, it was stupidity in fine display, has backfired on whoever decided to go ahead with it, and should be called out for what it is.