SOS Children’s Villages is the world’s largest charity focused on supporting children and young people who don’t have, or are at risk of losing, parental care, and has been operating in Gaza and the West Bank since 1968.
Alison Wallace, CEO of SOS Children’s Villages UK, said, “The situation in Gaza is one of unimaginable horror for the many children who are now trapped in an endless cycle of bombs, malnourishment and trauma.
“A child that our colleagues have been caring for in Gaza since he was only a day old has just turned one. So far, in his short life, he has never known anything but war and destruction. There is no regard for the rights, safety or care of the children living in Gaza.
“While our colleagues in Gaza continue to go above and beyond to bring smiles to the children they care for, it is heartbreaking for us in the UK to know that they do this in the knowledge that they themselves cannot guarantee their own safety, and that children in our care are surrounded by constant bombardment.
“The announced plans to ‘capture’ Gaza are chilling. At SOS Children’s Villages, we work to reunite families at risk of separation. The idea of intentionally displacing thousands of children into third countries instead of working towards a definitive ceasefire is abhorrent and shows a complete disregard for international law.”
In May 2024, the residential homes run by SOS Children’s Villages in Rafah had to be evacuated. Later that year, these homes were reduced to rubble due to heavy bombardment in Rafah, leaving children who were already vulnerable permanently displaced.
These same children are now staying in SOS Children’s Villages encampments in Khan Younis, with bombs landing as close as 800 metres away from their temporary accommodation. With the increasing lack of clarity around humanitarian zones in Gaza, children are more at risk than ever before.