AhlulBayt News Agency: UNICEF has issued a stark warning that two years of Israel’s relentless war on Gaza have inflicted catastrophic damage on children in the besieged Palestinian territory, amid continued airstrikes and worsening famine.
“For more than 700 days, children in Gaza have been killed, maimed, and displaced in a devastating war that is an affront to our shared humanity,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell in a statement released Wednesday.
As Israeli bombardments persist, Russell emphasized that “the world cannot, and must not, allow this to go on.”
She reported that approximately 64,000 children have been killed or injured across Gaza, including at least 1,000 infants, adding that the actual toll may be higher due to bodies trapped under rubble and deaths from preventable diseases.
The statement also highlighted the severe famine affecting Gaza’s children, caused by Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid.
“Famine persists in Gaza City and is spreading southward, where children are already enduring extreme hardship. Malnutrition, especially among babies, remains alarming. Months of inadequate nutrition have caused irreversible damage to children’s growth and development.”
Russell called on Israel to uphold its obligations to protect civilians, stating, “Denying humanitarian assistance to civilians is unequivocally prohibited.”
UNICEF expressed support for all initiatives aimed at ending the war and establishing peace in Gaza and the broader region.
Russell urged an immediate ceasefire and the “safe, rapid and unimpeded” delivery of humanitarian aid, declaring, “Every child killed is an irreplaceable loss. For the sake of all children in Gaza, this war must end now.”
‘No child should ever experience this terror’
On October 7, UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Perez told reporters that children in Gaza are enduring levels of violence and fear “no child should ever experience.”
Perez noted that children have suffered disproportionately, with one child killed or injured every 17 minutes.
He described the statistic as “shocking and unacceptable,” adding that many children have been orphaned or displaced multiple times.
Children in Gaza, he said, face daily trauma, including loss of family, forced displacement, and lack of safety.
Perez also condemned Israel’s blockade of aid, saying it has worsened the suffering of children.
He called on Israel to halt its attacks and agree to a ceasefire, citing the “unprecedented” scale of violence.
Israel launched its genocidal campaign on October 7, 2023, following Operation Al-Aqsa Flood by Palestinian resistance fighters, which was a response to decades of Israeli aggression against Palestinians.
Since March 2, when Israel breached its ceasefire agreement with Hamas, it has closed all border crossings, preventing humanitarian aid from entering and exacerbating Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, Israel’s military assault has killed over 67,183 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children.
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