1st December.
Today, the temporary ceasefire in Gaza that began last Friday morning has ended.
The agreement to release some of the hostages and detainees – including many children – was a much-needed step to protect those affected by the bombing and violence.
However, the truth is that even though this pause was extended beyond the four days initially agreed, it still wasn’t nearly enough for War Child and other aid agencies to reach the 1.1 million children in urgent need of aid.
“The past seven days may have been free of bombs, but they have revealed the scale of the destruction in the Gaza Strip - and it is unprecedented. Schools, hospitals, even the most basic infrastructure, destroyed.
We had seven days to distribute warm clothes and blankets, hygiene kits and food parcels to children, and to run recreational activities in shelters to help them cope with the trauma they have experienced. But seven days was never going to be enough to reach the 1.1 million children in desperate need." - War Child’s Country Director Sahar Smoom.
Now, all too soon, children must again prepare themselves for a living nightmare of bombs raining down, and the daily challenge of finding enough food, clean water, healthcare. Many more will now lose loved ones. Many – perhaps even those we helped this last week – will themselves lose their lives. What will it take for world leaders to call for a lasting ceasefire instead of just a pause?War Child’s Country Director Sahar Smoom.
As the bombs again begin, vital food, water, fuel and medical supplies will again dry up. Children will continue to die.
Only a permanent ceasefire will change the outcome for an entire generation.
