Country: occupied Palestinian territory Source: UN Children's Fund Please refer to the attached file. HighlightsAfter 20 months of conflict, the protection environment for children has almost collapsed, as ongoing hostilities, repeated displacement, and limited humanitarian access continue to have a devastating impact on the safety, security, rights and well-being of children.One in five babies in the Gaza Strip is now born preterm or underweight, as worsening malnutrition and collapsing healthcare and sanitation services put newborns and their mothers at extreme risk. Nearly 11,000 pregnant women face famine, and 17,000 more need urgent treatment for acute malnutrition.UNICEF with partners continues to provide drinking and domestic water for more than 1.5 million people, which is at greatly depleted levels due to the lack of fuel.Forced displacement, demolitions and settler violence incidents continued in the West Bank, and curfews and tightened movement restrictions have disrupted livelihoods and access to schools and healthcare.UNICEF faces a critical funding gap of US$ 490.6 million as humanitarian needs escalate.FUNDING OVERVIEW AND PARTNERSHIPSAn Inter-Agency Flash Appeal8 was issued on 11 December 2024, covering the period from January to December 2025. This appeal estimates that US$ 6.6 billion is required to address the critical needs of 3 million people, including 2.1 million in the Gaza Strip and 900,000 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.9 UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeal,10 aligned with the Inter-Agency Flash Appeal, seeks US$ 716.5 million to cover the urgent and critical needs of children and their families across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. With a funding gap of 68 per cent against this appeal, UNICEF urgently requires US$ 490.6 million to scale up support to those in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance.Flexible funding enables UNICEF to adapt to the evolving realities on the ground to respond promptly and more effectively to prioritize lifesaving assistance to children and their families where it is most needed. Without adequate funding, children are at a greater risk of malnutrition, at risk of not being reunified with their families, and at risk of not being able to access essential services, including safe water and health care. UNICEF benefited from the Global Humanitarian Thematic Funding from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and UNICEF national committees, which enabled UNICEF to respond with agility to the acute and fastevolving needs of the most vulnerable children and their families.UNICEF sincerely thanks its partners for their valuable and timely contributions, including the governments of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Japan, Kuwait, Malta, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), Gavi – the Vaccine Alliance, and the OCHA Country-based Pooled Fund. Through UNICEF National Committees, UNICEF is grateful for the assistance provided by the peoples of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. UNICEF would also like to thank UNICEF private sector fundraising efforts in Argentina, Bahrain, Chile, Croatia, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Philippines, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Tetsuko Kuroyanagi.