There is an acute famine in Gaza. Humanitarian aid has almost completely collapsed – the deliberate starvation of the civilian population is a war crime. And yet it is happening in front of everyone's eyes.
Donate for the children in GazaIn August 2025, the highest IPC alert level of "famine" was officially declared for parts of the Gaza Strip. Many families are suffering from hunger, many survive on only a bowl of rice or lentils a day, and parents are skipping meals for their children. Since April, at least 80 children have died from malnutrition. More than 100 people have already died of starvation, most of them children. 5,000 acutely malnourished children required treatment in July alone. In Gaza City, the proportion of malnourished children has quadrupled since February. According to estimates, around 500,000 people are at immediate risk of starvation.
UNICEF warns: Only 44 of 92 feeding centers are still functioning. Thousands of children are thus losing their most important source of survival. In hospitals, up to 80 newborns share 40 incubators – dependent on generators whose fuel can run out at any time.
Due to Israel's ground offensive and ongoing air strikes, approximately 200,000 people have been forced to leave Gaza City in the past few weeks alone. International organizations are speaking of a mass exodus from destruction and the complete collapse of supplies. Around a million more people are threatened with evacuation, while residential buildings continue to be bombed. Israel's current invasion and planned occupation of Gaza City is a dramatic step: According to Israeli government reports, parts of Gaza are to be controlled and effectively occupied for the long term. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is therefore calling for these plans for a complete military takeover of the Gaza Strip to be halted immediately.
Moreover, the fear of permanent displacement has long been a reality. So-called "humanitarian cities" are planned in southern Gaza, which critics describe as military-controlled camps. Two million people are already crowded into just three percent of the Gaza Strip – many without adequate access to water, food, or medical care.
The population lives under a double threat: bombings destroy homes and infrastructure, while hunger, disease, and the threat of further displacement jeopardize survival. The UN warns: Under these conditions, effective aid is virtually impossible. Israeli warfare repeatedly exceeds the limits of international law. It not only targets armed groups but also deliberately targets the civilian population – even the lives of hostages are at risk. Meanwhile, the Israeli government is openly discussing a possible depopulation and annexation of Gaza.
Please donateAid barely reaches the people: On average, only 28 aid shipments arrive in Gaza every day—far too few for the more than two million people. Anyone attempting to obtain food themselves risks their lives. 875 people have already been killed in the process.
According to the UN, well over 60,000 people have been killed and over 150,000 injured in Gaza since October 2023 – the majority of them women and children (as of September 2025).
The humanitarian system hasn't failed—it's been blocked. The deliberate creation of conditions that destroy a population, in whole or in part, is a crime under international humanitarian law and the UN Genocide Convention. As recently noted by the Israeli human rights organizations B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, the current data from Gaza demonstrates that the world has failed to prevent this genocide. Terre des Hommes , medico international, and their partner organizations continue to provide life-saving assistance. But without safe access and political pressure on those responsible, this work will be impossible.
Terre des Hommes also supports children and their families in the West Bank. The Israeli government has reiterated its commitment to no Palestinian state. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed plans to expand settlements, including 3,400 housing units in the "E1" area east of Jerusalem. This project would effectively cut the West Bank in two, isolating East Jerusalem from the Palestinian territories—and thus destroying any territorial basis for a Palestinian state. As a result, children and families live under constant threat and have limited access to basic services. All Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law.
We are observing the attacks throughout the region with great concern—especially given the impact on the civilian population. Terre des Hommes reported that women's centers run by our partner organization in Lebanon were also bombed by Israel.
It is becoming increasingly clear that Israel's policies not only affect Gaza and the West Bank, but also threaten the stability of the entire region. According to experts, Israel has launched military attacks on at least six countries in the past two years – including Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and most recently Qatar.
In particular, the recent airstrike on Doha during ongoing negotiations between Israel and Hamas has sent shockwaves through the Gulf states. Not only the continued attacks in Gaza and the escalation in the West Bank, but also Israel's willingness to undermine diplomatic processes with targeted assassinations, threaten stability. The immediate consequences are felt by millions of civilians—especially children, who suffer the most from hunger, displacement, and bombing.
Support us now – your contribution helps protect children in Gaza
Our auxiliary measures
Al-Ard agricultural development organization supports the population with mobile sanitation facilities and the maintenance and supply of electricity to wells in displaced persons camps. Clean drinking water and functioning sanitation facilities are crucial to protecting the health of children and families. We also support the work of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS) and the Mayasem Association , which provide medical assistance under extremely difficult conditions and fight for people's survival.
The situation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is also tense: violence by Israeli settlers and the expropriation of Palestinian housing are increasing. Together with our sister organization Terre des Hommes Italy , which has been supporting Palestinian children and young people for over 20 years, we are supporting kindergartens in East Jerusalem to create educational opportunities and ensure the children's development.
Another project focuses on the Nour Shams and Tulkarem in the West Bank. It provides emergency assistance to forcibly displaced families, including food, hygiene items, child-friendly spaces, psychosocial support, and non-formal education for children and young people. A particular focus is on protecting vulnerable groups, especially women and children. Through these measures, we contribute to improving immediate living conditions and supporting humanitarian aid efforts in the region.
Another project focuses on the Nour Shams and Tulkarem in the West Bank. It provides emergency assistance to forcibly displaced families, including food, hygiene items, child-friendly spaces, psychosocial support, and non-formal education for children and young people. A particular focus is on protecting vulnerable groups, especially women and children. Through these measures, we contribute to improving immediate living conditions and supporting humanitarian aid efforts in the region.
questions and answers
Our help in the Gaza Strip continues under difficult conditions. We answer all questions about the use of your donation here:
The situation in Gaza is dramatically unique in the world. The Israeli warfare, including the forced relocations and the concentration of the population of Gaza in ever smaller areas, significantly complicates the care of the civilian population. With the establishment of the private foundation »Gaza Humanitrian Foundation« supported by the USA and Israel, the United Nations (VN) supply system, established for decades, is avoided in Gaza. According to the United Nations, several hundred people have been killed by fire and thousands have been killed since the Foundation was commissioned.
International humanitarian organizations and the United Nations call for the return to the well -established distribution system under the leadership of the UN. So far, the international community has mostly reacted with appeals and limited sanctions, which, however, do not adequately address the underlying system of the crew and displacement. Humanitarian aid alone cannot solve the structural causes of humanitarian disaster. The continued blockade and military violence prevent a sustainable improvement in living conditions in Gaza.
Terre des Hommes , in alliance with medico international, is working with local partner organizations in Gaza. These local organizations are providing the population with the best possible assistance. Many local staff members are themselves affected by the war and, like the rest of the population, are fighting for their own survival and that of their fellow human beings.
The circumstances on site can vary and change at any time at any time. The shelling and displacement have been everyday for people for almost two years. Accordingly, aid measures must be adapted again and again and sometimes limited to a limited extent.
Our alliance partner Medico International has its own office on site and has been working with local Palestinian and Israeli non -governmental organizations for many years. These have the logistical capacities, the knowledge and the operational range to effectively provide help. The long -term relationships with the local partners enable transparent and trusting cooperation.
Terre des Hommes has already supported a variety of relief efforts, including medical assistance, the construction of a soup kitchen, and sanitation facilities. Together with partner organizations, the expansion of these efforts is being examined. However, the implementation of these measures depends on the current security situation.
Terre des Hommes also supports children and families in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Jordan. The war in Gaza is not an isolated event, but is closely interwoven with regional developments and historical circumstances. We continue to monitor the situation on the ground and are in close contact with medico international and our partner organizations.
Yes, Terre des Hommes projects are also affected by fighting. For example, Israeli airstrikes completely destroyed two tent halls belonging to the Palestinian organization Mayasem Association in Al-Qarara in the southern Gaza Strip. The tent halls housed a soup kitchen and a school – facilities financed with support from Terre des Hommes .
Terre des Hommes strongly condemns the attacks on our partner organization and the destruction of humanitarian infrastructure. Our solidarity goes out to the staff in our projects who risk their lives every day to help people.
Our demands
As a child rights organization, we are at the side of all children worldwide and are committed to compliance with child rights and humanitarian international law. We therefore demand:
- Permanent opening of the border crossings in order to bring humanitarian aid safely and effectively to the Gaza Strip.
- A permanent ceasefire to prevent further suffering and losses, especially for the children.
- Specific action by the German Federal Government and the International Community to ensure basic care and medical help in the Gaza Strip.
- Immediate stop German arms exports to Israel, which are associated with risks for further human rights violations and war crimes in the Gaza Strip
- Long-term investments in the reconstruction of the destroyed infrastructure, especially in the area of water and health care.
It is crucial that the international community - and with it the German federal government - asserts its influence and takes concrete measures to stop violence and dying in Gaza and to immediately improve the emergency of the population in the Gaza Strip.
Terre des Hommes , in alliance with medico international, is working with our partners to help people in Gaza.
Support the children and their families with a donation!
Petition "For a just peace"
In alliance with other organizations Terre des Hommes is committed to a just peace. The escalation of violence must end, and further suffering must be prevented. Support our petition with your signature:
To the petitionYour contact person
Henriette Hänsch
Regional coordinator Middle East/North Africa
