Palestine

SOS Children’s Villages ensures that children grow up with the care, protection and relationships they need to become their strongest selves (photo: SOS Children’s Villages Palestine)

Globally, there are around 14 million Palestinians, the majority of whom are displaced. Approximately 5.5 million Palestinians remain in Gaza and the West Bank. Children, young people, and families here face humanitarian challenges due to the ongoing conflict. Since October 2023, both areas have seen an increase in violence, poverty, and unemployment. The situation is significantly worse in Gaza compared to the West Bank. Here there has been a widespread destruction of infrastructure, loss of lives and people have been forced to move repeatedly.

SOS Children’s Villages has been supporting children and young people without parental care, or at risk of losing it, in Palestine since 1968.

Children are at risk

The Palestinian population is marked by its youth, with under 18’s constituting at least 2.3 million individuals, around 43% of the population, and under 15’s making up around 37%. For decades, children and young people have grown up in an environment shaped by conflict and instability, often without the support of extended families due to displacement and ongoing conflict and humanitarian challenges.
3.3 M
People need urgent support

Children at risk

Around 3.3 million people urgently need support in Palestine: 2.1M in Gaza and 1.2M in the West Bank. In Gaza, the extensive damage to infrastructure and displacements have affected children disproportionately. In the recent conflict, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health over 17,000 Palestinian children have been killed. Children in both Gaza and the West Bank are not able to grow up feeling safe. Many have lost the care of their families, have been displaced and can no longer attend school regularly.

660,000
Children do not go to school in Gaza

Schools destroyed

Many Palestinian children lack access to safe schooling. In Gaza, the educational system is no longer functioning as planned – schools have been destroyed, and children have been displaced. In the West Bank children’s schooling is also affected by the ongoing conflict. According to UNICEF, at least 130,000 children cannot go to school due to the deepening crisis. A poor educational background has a profound effect on the future of children and the communities they grow up in.

2.9 M
People need food assistance

High food prices

More than 2.9 million Palestinians need food assistance. The situation is particularly acute in Gaza, where the entire population faces acute food insecurity. An increasing number of children and pregnant women are malnourished. According to UNICEF, 322,000 children are at risk of malnutrition. Nutritional deficiencies have multiple effects on children’s physical and mental development. They can include an inability to concentrate in school and a weakened immune system.

Together we can make a difference for children in Palestine

28,600
People reached through
Emergency projects
2,690
Adults and children
Are supported in the community
220
Children and young people
Receive educational and training support
145
Children
Grow up in our care
15
Young people
Are supported on their way to independence
At the start of the most recent conflict, SOS Children’s Villages in Palestine supported children, young people and families in both Bethlehem and Rafah. As the conflict escalated, children in our care in Rafah were evacuated to Bethlehem. In May 2024, the village in Rafah was fully evacuated. Since then, we have been working in both Bethlehem and Khan Younis, providing care for children who are not with their families and emergency support to displaced families (photo: SOS Children’s Villages Palestine).

Let’s keep on protecting children and young people!

Many children have been able to find a safe and secure home. With your help, we can continue to change their lives