Gaza becoming a ‘graveyard of children,’ says UNICEF
The United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, has raised concerns over the growing number of child deaths in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, when Israel-Palestine tensions turned to a violent armed conflict.
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder while speaking at a UN press briefing in Geneva expressed fears that the reported numbers of children killed in Gaza have gone from dozens into thousands in just a fortnight while lamenting that the death toll among minors had gone beyond 3,450.
“Staggeringly, this number rises significantly every single day,” Elder warned, saying that Gaza “has become a graveyard of children. It is a living hell for everyone else.”
The UN official re-emphasised the call for an immediate cease-fire and humanitarian access while adding that children in Gaza are dying not only due to airstrikes but also due to lack of needed medical attention.
UNICEF warned that about 1 million children in the occupied territory are struggling with a critical water crisis as Gaza’s daily water output was at 5% of its production capacity.
“So, child deaths to dehydration, particularly infant deaths to dehydration, are a growing threat,” he said.
On trauma, the spokesperson said: “When finally the fighting stops the cost to children and their communities are going to be borne out for generations to come.”
According to official figures, more than 10,000 people have been killed in the Gaza conflict, including 8,306 Palestinians and 1,538 Israelis, as well as 3,457 children in the occupied territory.
