Gaza: “One death of a child is too many” says UNICEF head

The head of the United Nations agency for children, UNICEF Catherine Russell has revealed her shocking experiences in her visit to Gaza last week.

Speaking to the BBC Today programme on Radio 4, the UN official noted that, “The scale and pace of the death and injury has been most shocking”, adding that “One death of a child is too many.”

Russell added: “We are going to have to make it [Gaza] liveable again” – adding that it is important not to lose sight of the children who were abducted from Israel by Hamas on 7 October.

“The abduction of children is against international humanitarian law and these children need to be released immediately,” Russell says, “and I can’t say we have had much progress but I am hopeful at some point these children will be released and be able to return to their families.”

More children have been impacted in the war on Gaza since Israel began its retaliatory offensives after the initial attack by Hamas on October 7.

Earlier in a statement, UNICEF said, “In Gaza, more than 4,600 children have reportedly been killed, with nearly 9,000 reportedly injured.

Death toll in the besieged enclave has climbed to 13,000, including over 5,500 children and 3,500 women, according to authorities in Gaza.