UNITED NATIONS: The longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Gaza has become a battleground that is proving to be the most dangerous place for children, as the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) issued a stark warning.
The besieged enclave, which continues to endure relentless Israeli airstrikes, faces a humanitarian crisis that poses an imminent threat to the lives of its young population.
UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder, who recently returned from Gaza, painted a grim picture of the situation, stating that a lack of essential resources such as food, water, shelter, and sanitation is putting the lives of children at severe risk. The ongoing airstrikes have left children with no safe haven, with every child in Gaza enduring what Elder described as “10 weeks of hell.” Families, already grappling with the trauma of living in a conflict zone, now face the added anguish of deteriorating living conditions.
The Gaza health authorities report that since October 7, over 19,400 Palestinians have been killed in the enclave, and more than 52,000 have been injured. The access to life-saving medical care is extremely limited, with only eight of the 36 hospitals in the Strip partially functional, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Hospitals in Gaza are overwhelmed, filled with children and their parents bearing the horrific wounds of war. James Elder emphasized the prevalence of young amputees, with around 1,000 children in Gaza having lost one or both of their legs. The dire situation is exacerbated by the recent shelling of Al Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, the largest remaining hospital in Gaza, further straining the capacity to provide essential healthcare.
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Amidst the escalating violence, Gaza’s population, estimated at 1.9 million people, faces mass displacement. The majority of the enclave’s residents are displaced, seeking safety in a precarious environment. Injured children, dealing with the loss of loved ones, find themselves forced to move repeatedly, highlighting the lack of safe spaces in hospitals or shelters.
The concept of “safe zones” in Gaza, unilaterally designated by Israel, is debunked by Elder as “anything but safe.” These zones lack sufficient resources for survival, including food, water, medicine, and protection. They consist of small, inhospitable patches of barren land, street corners, or half-built buildings with no shelter from the harsh elements.
Elder emphasized the critical need for adequate sanitation, revealing that in Gaza, there is only one toilet for every 700 people on average. The lack of sanitation facilities, coupled with soaring malnutrition rates, raises concerns about the potential for deadly outbreaks of diseases like diarrhea among children. Additionally, more than 130,000 children under two are not receiving critical life-saving breastfeeding and age-appropriate complementary feeding, including essential micronutrient supplementation.
The delivery of humanitarian aid is a matter of life or death for children in Gaza. However, the current conditions pose significant challenges to providing aid effectively. The number of aid trucks allowed into Gaza remains well below the daily average prior to October 7, with ongoing hostilities and extensive damage to roads hindering the distribution of essential supplies.
In the face of this dire situation, the UNICEF spokesperson called for an immediate and long-lasting humanitarian ceasefire as the only viable solution to end the killing and injuring of children. Such a ceasefire would also enable the urgent delivery of desperately needed life-saving aid, addressing the critical needs of Gaza’s vulnerable population.
As the international community grapples with the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the focus on Gaza’s children becomes paramount. The urgency to address their immediate needs, ensure their safety, and provide essential humanitarian aid underscores the pressing need for a comprehensive and sustainable resolution to the protracted conflict that has plagued the region for decades.
