On Thursday 24th July 2025, SOS Children’s Villages marked the 500th day since the evacuation of 68 children, 11 caregivers, and their families from the SOS Children’s Village in Rafah due to the threat of a ground attack. The evacuation, which was seen as a temporary measure to protect the children from immediate danger, was carried out by the world’s largest charity supporting children without or at risk of losing care.
Since their evacuation, the SOS Children’s Village in Rafah has been completely destroyed by bombardment, leaving the charity to call for the guarantee that all Gazans who have left the strip be given the right to return.
Ghada Hirzallah, National Director of SOS Children’s Villages Palestine, expressed the resilience and hope of the children and youth despite the difficult circumstances, stating, “Despite the hardship, many children and youth we work with still speak of hopeful futures. They want to become doctors, chefs, teachers, engineers, artists in roles where they can help others. They dream of peace, of returning to their homes, to Gaza, and of feeling safe enough to build a life.”
However, the unstable security situation in the West Bank has also caused distress, particularly since January 2025. Frequent Israeli military incursions have triggered past traumas, especially among children who associate military presence with earlier traumatic experiences in Gaza.
To address this, SOS Children’s Villages worked through diplomatic channels with all relevant authorities to bring the children and adults to Bethlehem in the West Bank, where they arrived safely on 11th March 2024. The children, aged between two and 14 years, were in the care of SOS Children’s Villages as they had lost parental care before the war.
The children have since adapted well to structured daily routines, including attending school, weekend outings, and engaging in creative and recreational activities such as sports, art therapy, music, and singing lessons.
However, another significant challenge for the evacuated children is overcoming the deep emotional strain of being separated from extended family members and enduring life-threatening conditions in Gaza.
To support the continued safety and wellbeing of the evacuated children, SOS Children’s Villages UK has been contributing its efforts. Alison Wallace, CEO of SOS Children’s Villages UK, emphasized the importance of finding a permanent solution for the children, stating, “No child or teenager should have to feel ‘grateful’ for being placed in relative safety. While these children are no longer in imminent danger, they remain in limbo; safe for now, but cut off from the place they called home.”
Wallace continued, “Meanwhile, 500 days after our evacuation, children and families who live in Gaza continue to face mortal danger. It is unforgivable that children still in Gaza are being killed while queuing for food, water, and medical aid, and vital humanitarian assistance has been obstructed, politicised, and even targeted.”
SOS Children’s Village in Rafah, which the evacuated children once called home, has now been completely destroyed by bombardment, leaving the children with no safe home to return to. The displacement of Gazans is becoming permanent by design, highlighting the urgency for the international community to take action and advocate for the rights of displaced Gazans to return home safely.
The UK and other nations have recently committed to taking further action to support an immediate ceasefire, but the situation is becoming dire, and the risk of words replacing action is high. SOS Children’s Villages urges the UK and the international community to continue increasing pressure for a permanent end to the conflict.
For the children who were unable to be evacuated from Gaza, alongside additional unaccompanied children the charity is now caring for, they are living in an SOS Children’s Villages encampment in Khan Younis, with bombs landing as close as 800 meters from their temporary accommodation.
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.