Crisis at SOS Children's Villages in Gaza: Lack of Food Forces Organization to Resort to Self-Sustainability
In the heart of Gaza, life continues amidst displacement, fear, and worry. Despite the challenging circumstances, love and care are still present, especially in the SOS Children's Villages.
Recently, a small boy celebrated his first birthday in the camp, having been taken in by the SOS Children's Villages last year after the tragic loss of his mother. This modest birthday celebration was a rare moment that brought a little light into the lives of the children and staff.
However, the situation in Gaza is far from bright. Access to clean water and medical care is a daily struggle, and the food crisis has reached an urgent, desperate level. Malnutrition rates are alarmingly high, especially among children under five. Nearly one in five children in Gaza City is now acutely malnourished, with Global Acute Malnutrition tripling in certain areas since June 2025.
Over 5,000 children under five were admitted for outpatient malnutrition treatment in the first two weeks of July alone, with many suffering from severe acute malnutrition, the most life-threatening form. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has reported that a third of Gaza's population has gone multiple days without food, and a quarter are facing famine-like conditions, including nearly 100,000 women and children requiring urgent treatment.
The situation has worsened due to blockades and delays in the delivery of large-scale food and humanitarian aid, causing preventable deaths. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has conducted limited airdrops of food supplies such as flour, sugar, and canned goods and created humanitarian pauses to allow aid passage, partly to counter claims of deliberate starvation. However, aid centers are overwhelmed, and repeated violence around aid distribution has exacerbated the problem.
Regarding SOS Children’s Villages, while specific updates on their status in Gaza amid this crisis are not available, the overall humanitarian context indicates that all child-focused aid organizations face extreme challenges due to widespread malnutrition and the critical need for immediate aid distribution.
The SOS Children's Villages in Khan Younis are providing care for 46 children who have lost their families. The employee of the SOS Children's Villages in Khan Younis reported an unbearable situation in Gaza, with more people dying from hunger and diseases. The SOS Children's Villages in Khan Younis have depleted food supplies, and the call is made to the international community to act and advocate for the food imports.
The employee emphasized that children should never go to bed hungry and that they must never be allowed to starve. It is deeply inhumane to punish children by letting them go hungry. The SOS Children's Villages worldwide Spokesperson, Boris Breyer, can be contacted for further information.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is deteriorating daily, with increasing malnutrition among infants and pregnant women. Urgent international aid and unimpeded access are essential to prevent further deaths, especially children. The crisis is described as entirely preventable but requires urgent international action to enable safe, sustained humanitarian access.
- Despite the challenges in Gaza, the SOS Children's Villages continue to focus on mental health, providing a safe haven for children who have lost their families due to displacement and loss.
- Amidst the war and conflicts in Gaza, access to health-and-wellness resources, including clean water, medical care, and adequate food, remains a concern, leading to high malnutrition rates among children under five.
- In the face of these dire circumstances, the SOS Children's Villages worldwide advocate for general news and political action, appealing to the international community to address the food crisis and prevent further harm, particularly to children.
