Netherlands Pledges to Evacuate 250 Children as UN Warns of Collapsing Aid in Gaza

A high-level UN side event on Sept. 23 heard harrowing testimony from a doctor and Palestinian children as Western governments moved beyond condemnation toward concrete action — the Netherlands announced settlement-product bans and a plan to evacuate at least 250 children for medical treatment, while Norway committed $2.5 million for Gaza's water crisis. The pledges came as UN agencies warned that food deliveries will be halved starting in October and that children continue to die from treatable conditions because medical supplies sit blocked at border crossings.

• Netherlands announces settlement-product ban, calls for suspension of EU-Israel trade, and pledges to evacuate at least 250 sick and injured children from Gaza

• WFP warns it must cut food deliveries from the full Gaza population to just 1 million people starting in October due to funding shortfalls

• Doctor returning from fifth deployment describes children dying for lack of pediatric tracheostomy tubes while supplies sit at crossings

• Jordan's foreign minister reports over 20,000 Palestinian children killed and demands consequences under international law

• Norway commits $2.5 million to UNICEF for acute water crisis; Australia reaffirms over $160 million in aid since October 2023

The basics: The "Call to Action for Palestinian Children in the West Bank and Gaza" convened at UN Headquarters on Sept. 23, co-hosted by Jordan, Belgium, and the European Union, bringing together foreign ministers, UN agency heads, and civil society leaders to confront the ongoing crisis facing Palestinian children nearly a year after the ceasefire.