The Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF) Statement on Gaza Ceasefire
Jan 21, 2025

As we enter the next several days and weeks of the ceasefire in Gaza, we pray that it is permanent and not just a temporary pause. While it is sadly too late for the over 17,000 children who have violently lost their lives, the hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza, who managed to survive the over 15 months of bombing deserve a reprieve. They also deserve an acceleration of the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid to assist in the alleviation of malnutrition and disease.

The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund continues to be in “emergency mode” and continues to deliver urgent humanitarian relief to the child population of Gaza and their families, as we have been since the early days of October. Our priority remains in providing medical supplies, food and emergency medical care to those who continue to struggle to survive.

As over one million children in Gaza slowly emerge from the nightmares of the last 15 months, they are faced with loss, trauma and the need for community and stability. The international community has a moral and ethical responsibility under international law to ensure accountability for the thousands of lives that have been shattered. What happened over the last 15 months must never happen to any child again. Beyond a ceasefire, Palestinian children deserve to enjoy the same rights afforded to all other children around the globe… the right to live and thrive in a healthy environment free from war and destruction. Without accountability we will have failed the children of Gaza again. We cannot allow that to happen.

For over 30 years, PCRF has been providing quality medical and surgical care to children in Palestine and the region who do not have access to it. During this first phase of the ceasefire, we will continue to provide urgent life-saving assistance and supplies to those in need, reinforcing the capacity in our medical tents and establishing new health care medical points and facilities wherever needed. Our medical teams are on standby ready to re-enter Gaza as soon as we receive the necessary clearances. We are also exploring mobile options to provide medical assistance to children and families who continue to be on the move, as well as continued access to all of the services we provide. We will begin to address the holistic needs of the amputee and orphan population as we plan for the long-term needs with our partners and local authorities.

We at PCRF are dedicated to ensuring that the most vulnerable amongst us are cared for with the love and compassion they deserve. Children should never have to pay the highest price in war and conflict.

Vivian Khalaf, 

Chairwoman of the Palestine Children's Relief Fund