Recreational supplies get into Gaza after two years – UNICEF

GAZA, 22 January 2026 – After more than two years of restrictions, UNICEF has been allowed to bring recreational kits to the Gaza Strip to support children’s learning, wellbeing, and resilience. Since Thursday 15 January, 5,168 recreational kits have entered the Strip, supporting more than 375,000 children - including 1,000 children with disabilities.

“For young children around the world, including in Gaza, playing is not a luxury, but how they develop language, motor skills, problem-solving, and social-emotional skills,” said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations, who visited Gaza this week. “These recreational supplies will help create safer, structured spaces where children can return to routines, express emotions, and continue learning even in crisis conditions. Now we must be permitted to bring all other education and Early Childhood Development (ECD) supplies into Gaza soon to benefit 336,000 children with the most basic materials they need to be able to learn.”

These materials - which include notebooks, pencils, erasers and crayons - will also support caregivers and educators with practical tools to engage children in age-appropriate activities that promote development, reduce stress, and strengthen protective environments. Children in Gaza must keep learning and growing, despite the disruption and ongoing despair around them.

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