UNICEF Aids Recovery Efforts in Gaza

On Jan. 9, 2026, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder reports from the Gaza Strip, where life is still unimaginably difficult for children and families struggling to survive an extremely harsh winter made worse by needless challenges laid one on top of the other. Three months after a ceasefire was announced, "We're standing in bitter cold, surrounded by windswept tents," Elder says. "Still the sound of explosions and gunfire." Elder describes some of what Palestinians and UNICEF colleagues in Gaza have been able to accomplish: supplying nearly 1 million thermal blankets and hundreds of thousands of winter clothing kits for children, adding 70 nutritional facilities, getting more than 125,000 girls and boys into learning spaces and repairing critical water and sewage systems. The ceasefire has reduced the carnage in Gaza, but it has also decreased the world's attention on survivors and their most urgent needs. Two-thirds of people are still living in tents, facing restrictions on everything from cooking gas to school materials. "After unprecedented destruction and killing, Palestinians deserve a genuine peace dividend," Elder says. Subscribe to UNICEF USA's YouTube Channel for the latest updates. To learn more about UNICEF and UNICEF USA, visit: https://www.unicefusa.org Read our stories about UNICEF in action: https://www.unicefusa.org/stories Follow UNICEF USA here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unicefusa Twitter: https://twitter.com/UNICEFUSA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UNICEF-USA