All Eyes on Rafah: What’s next for children in Gaza?

Family arriving with belongings in Khan Younis. Photo: Bisan/Save the Children

Children are being forced into danger yet again in Gaza. 

We had already run out of words to describe how catastrophic the situation is in Rafah - but this next chapter will take it to indescribable new levels. 

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Here is everything you need to know about what is happening in Gaza right now: 

What’s happening? 

Since October, more than half of Gaza’s population have fled to Rafah as a result of Israeli authorities forcing them out of other areas in Gaza. Many are injured, or simply too old, ill, or weak to move again.  

But on Monday 6 May, Israeli forces started ordering thousands of people to flee parts of Rafah. Over a million - 600,000 of them children - are at risk of forced displacement as they remain sheltering in Rafah.  

Israeli authorities are repeatedly forcing Palestinian families to move, pushing them into smaller and smaller areas whilst increasing attacks in Rafah.

For weeks we have been warning there is no feasible evacuation plan to lawfully displace and protect civilians. 

The worst-case scenario we feared is becoming a reality. There is nowhere safe left for people to go. 

Map of Gaza explaining where families are being asked to move to. Save the Children International

What about aid?  

The takeover by Israeli forces of the Rafah crossing is blocking the primary entry point for aid.  

No aid has entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing since Sunday 5 May, meaning Save the Children and other aid agencies are no longer able to get new supplies and assistance into Gaza.  

There is nowhere safe in Gaza, and, under current restrictions, there is nowhere people can access the basics needed for them to survive. 

Forcibly displacing Palestinian families from Rafah while further disrupting aid will likely seal the fate of many children. 

What will families face next? 

Increased airstrikes in Gaza over the last couple of days have already claimed dozens of lives.  

Families fleeing Rafah now face further violence, hunger, and suffering.  

The lives of one million children hang in the balance.

Donate now to protect children living in crisis.

What are we demanding? 

Israeli forces must halt, not expand, operations in Rafah and must open all available land crossings to allow aid to enter. 

Palestinian children's survival depends on it.  

We are calling for an immediate and definitive Ceasefire Now and unrestricted humanitarian aid access. 

Join our calls to stop the war on children and demand an immediate ceasefire now. It's the only way to protect lives.