NEW YORK, 20 Sept. - (ANA) - The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is seeking to raise $97.5 million to protect 540,000 children and their families in Gaza and the West Bank from harsh winter conditions in the coming months.

 

Nearly 84 per cent of Gaza’s population – more than 1.76 million people – live in overcrowded displacement sites or damaged shelters, leaving families vulnerable to freezing temperatures, heavy rain and flooding.

 

At least 11 children, including infants, in the Gaza Strip were reported to have died from hypothermia last winter.

 

In the West Bank, violence, displacement, movement restrictions and a deepening financial crisis are further limiting vulnerable families’ ability to cope with winter shocks, UNICEF wrote in a press release.

 

The funding would allow UNICEF to provide more warm clothing, thermal blankets, digital cash assistance, emergency shelter reinforcements and tents. The agency will also work with partners to reduce flood and disease risks.

 

UNICEF is urging donors to provide flexible, timely funding so it can pre-position supplies before winter arrives.

 

Meanwhile, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory Ramiz Alakbarov announced on Thursday that the UN’s aid agency (OCHA) will allocate $2 million to power health facilities in Gaza for four months.   - (ANA) - 

 

AB/ANA/20 September 2026 - - -