Adele Khodr, UNICEF’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said today that the Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world for children. She reported scores of children being killed and injured daily, with entire neighborhoods transformed into rubble, devoid of life.
“Our team on the ground describes meeting children with missing limbs and third-degree burns, and children left shell-shocked by the continuing violence that surrounds them,” stated Khodr. “Close to one million children have been forcibly displaced from their homes, pushed into tiny, overcrowded areas without water, food, or protection, putting them at increased risk of respiratory infections and waterborne diseases.”
Khodr described the Israeli restrictions on delivering lifesaving aid into and across the Gaza Strip as “another death sentence for children.” The quantities of aid entering are far from adequate, and the challenges have intensified due to ongoing Israeli bombing and fuel shortages.
“The humanitarian s
ystem is buckling, particularly under the extreme strain caused by the measures imposed after the end of the ceasefire, as the population is pushed further into despair,” Khodr added.
Khodr stressed that an immediate, long-lasting humanitarian ceasefire is the only solution to end the suffering of children and civilians, affirming it was crucial to protect civilians and enable the delivery of urgently needed lifesaving aid.
“Humanitarian aid must be allowed at scale to prevent further suffering. UNICEF and humanitarian organizations must have safe access to all children and their families wherever they are in the Gaza Strip, including in the north,” Khodr urged.
She emphasized the need for swift action. “The world is watching, helpless and devastated – we cannot act quickly enough. This must stop immediately,” she concluded.
Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA