• 'We are calling on all authorities to increase the number of children and patients who can cross the Rafah crossing point for medical evacuations,' chief of communications at UNICEF Palestine tells Anadolu from Gaza
• Broader situation of children in Gaza 'absolutely dramatic' despite ceasefire, slight improvements in food availability, says Jonathan Crickx

GENEVA

The partial reopening of the Rafah border crossing is a positive step but falls far short of meeting Gaza’s humanitarian needs, particularly for children, according to Jonathan Crickx, the chief of communications at UNICEF Palestine.

Speaking to Anadolu from Gaza, Crickx said Rafah's reopening for pedestrian crossings, including medical evacuations, was "an important development, and it’s a good news on the principle," but stressed that the current scale of access remains deeply inadequate.

"When we see the scale of the needs again, it’s not sufficient," he said. "But we are hopeful, and we are calling on the relevant authorities to make sure that this number is actually increasing in the coming days, in the coming weeks."

He said it is "extremely important" to continuously call for the ability to medically evacuate more people.

The only crossing between Gaza and Egypt reopened for limited traffic on Monday after nearly two years of closure by Israel under strict conditions. Israeli media said around 150 Palestinians – 50 patients each accompanied by two companions – will be allowed to leave Gaza, and 50 to enter through the crossing point each day.

Gaza health officials estimate that about 22,000 patients are awaiting the full reopening of the entry point to seek medical treatment abroad.

Crickx said nearly 4,000 children in Gaza urgently require medical evacuation for treatment unavailable inside the enclave, including complex surgeries, cancer care, and organ transplants. He warned that delays in evacuations could have fatal consequences. "If not, they will die," he said.

He recalled meeting a six-year-old girl who still has shrapnel lodged in her body from a bombing and requires surgery unavailable in Gaza. He also met a boy in need of a kidney transplant, and many children months earlier who require treatment for leukemia.

"All these are not available here in the Gaza Strip, and it is absolutely critical that these children get access to that kind of treatment." he said. "We are calling on all authorities to increase the number of children and patients who can cross the Rafah crossing point for medical evacuations."

Israel closed the Rafah crossing, a vital route for humanitarian aid and a main exit point for Palestinians to reach the outside world, in May 2024, nearly nine months into its offensive in Gaza starting in October 2023. The relentless bombing has killed more than 71,000 people, injured over 171,000 others and reduced the enclave to rubble.

Its long-awaited reopening was a requirement of the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire that went into effect in October. But Israel refused until the return of all living and deceased hostages.

Situation of children still 'dramatic'

Crickx also described the broader situation of children in Gaza as "absolutely dramatic," despite the fragile ceasefire and slight improvements in food availability. While some food has returned to local markets, he said, families who lost homes and livelihoods often cannot afford it, leaving thousands of children still suffering from acute malnutrition.

Cold weather has further worsened conditions. Crickx said thousands of children are living in makeshift tents without heating, electricity, toilets or adequate access to water, as nighttime temperatures drop sharply.

"We have thousands and thousands and thousands of children who are living barefoot, with only one change of clothes, and living in makeshift tents where they are very cold," he said.

According to him, the situation in Gaza "remains extremely challenging."

"It's true that you have less bombardment and you have more food on the market. Does that make the entire life of the children in the Gaza Strip absolutely ideal? Far from it," he stressed.

Despite the October truce, Palestinians in Gaza continue to be killed in Israeli attacks and suffer harsh living conditions. According to UNICEF, more than 100 children have been killed since the ceasefire began, while at least 10 children have died from hypothermia amid cold weather and inadequate shelter.

On Saturday, Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least 31 people, including six children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. In a separate incident on Monday, a three-year-old boy was killed when Israeli naval fire hit tents housing displaced civilians in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis.

Crickx stressed the need for all parties to fully respect the ceasefire, warning that continued violence undermines humanitarian efforts and places children at ongoing risk.

Reconstruction needed

On humanitarian access, Crickx said the ceasefire has allowed an increase in aid entering Gaza, mainly through the Kerem Shalom crossing. UNICEF has delivered 1 million blankets, 700,000 winter clothing kits, dozens of tents, and education supplies, including school kits aimed at helping children resume learning.

Asked whether the limited pedestrian reopening of Rafah could lead to a full opening for humanitarian aid and whether there is any progress on that, the official said this is something humanitarian agencies had hoped for, but that is not the case for now.

"So humanitarian aid, as we speak now, is not entering (through Rafah) the Gaza Strip. Is it something that will happen in the future? We don't know. What we know is that we are calling for that to happen. We are calling for all the entry points to open to allow humanitarian aid to enter via all entry points simultaneously, because without that, it will take too long to provide the needed help," he said.

Crickx explained that the needed assistance includes medical equipment, rubble removal machinery and reconstruction materials, stressing that prolonged displacement in plastic-sheet shelters is untenable.

"What is needed on the ground is reconstruction. We cannot be in several months from now, with still hundreds of thousands of people living in makeshift tents made with a plastic sheet like that on a piece of wood structure. This is something that cannot happen," he said.

"There is also a question of humanity and dignity here."