FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday 28 July 2025
Media Statement
“Every food truck that reaches Gaza is a lifeline”
Plan International Australia has today joined global calls to clear the way for urgent aid to flow into Gaza.
On Monday Israel agreed to pause military operations for 10 hours a day in three populated areas of Gaza - El-Mawasi area, central Deir al-Balah and northern Gaza City - to allow the UN and humanitarian organisations to deliver food and medicine to people "until further notice".
Commenting on the developments Rozan Khalifeh, Country Directory Plan International Egypt, says:
“The pause in military operations is a welcome step. We now have a small window to get aid into Gaza and save as many lives as possible – every hour counts.
“The UN have warned that one out of every three people has not eaten for days, and eight in every 10 people who have reportedly died from starvation are children. This reprieve cannot come soon enough. In conditions of famine, children die first, and it is an agonising death.
“Plan International has trucks waiting to go into Gaza. We are now rapidly procuring more food, water and water treatment supplies, sanitary products, soap and tents but funding is urgently needed to respond as the scale of suffering in Gaza is colossal.
“For everyone watching the horror unfold, now is the time you can support – your money will save lives.
“Whilst these 10 hour pauses in military operations are a critical opportunity to save lives, there are still another 14 hours in the day where children and their families remain at risk of being killed by shelling and gunfire. We have seen people killed even as the first pause has begun. Parents are scared to visit food distribution sites as over 1000 people have been killed there – mothers shot in front of their starving children as they tried to collect food for them.
“What children in Gaza need above all is a lasting ceasefire, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and unhindered humanitarian access for the UN and humanitarian partners.”
Dr. Unni Krishnan, Global Humanitarian Director, Plan International, said:
“Every food truck that reaches Gaza is a lifeline—but such lifelines must be a continuous flow not symbolic. A hungry child can’t survive on headlines. What’s needed is not just access, but sustained, unrestricted flow of life saving humanitarian aid- now”
“Let us be clear: this war has killed more than 58,000 people, many of them women and children. Thousands are unaccounted for, most likely buried under rubbles. It has erased homes, schools, hospitals—and an entire generation’s dreams.
“Last week, 28 countries, including Australia, France, Japan, and Denmark, have called for an immediate end to the war and the lifting of aid restrictions. This pause in military operations is a welcome step - but the urgency for aid cannot be overstated.
"Starving children in Gaza need food every single day—just like children in Melbourne or anywhere else in the world. Using life-saving food as a bargaining chip is not just inhumane—it’s a crime against children. What they need is nutritious food, safety, and above all, a ceasefire and lasting peace to end this nightmare."
ENDS
NOTE - both Unni Krishnan (Australia based) and Rozan Khalifeh (Egypt based) are available for media comment today. Plan International Australia Deputy CEO Hayley Cull is also available for comment.
For further information or interview requests, please contact:
James Norman - 0451291775
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About Plan International
Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion, and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected.
Working together with children, young people, supporters, and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood, and we enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national, and global levels using our reach, experience, and knowledge.
For over 85 years, we have rallied other determined optimists to transform the lives of all children in more than 80 countries. We won’t stop until we are all equal.