Gaza becomes the most dangerous place in the world for children

UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell told the UN Security Council that more than 5,300 Palestinian children are believed to have been killed since October 7 - when Hamas militants attacked Israel and killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and then Israel responded in Gaza, a territory of 2.3 million people.

unicef gaza becomes world's most dangerous place for children picture 1 — A Palestinian man grieves as he carries the body of his niece who was killed in an Israeli strike at Nasser hospital in the Gaza Strip on November 22, 2023. Photo: Reuters

“The true cost of this latest war in Palestine and Israel will be counted in the lives of children – those killed by violence and those forever changed by war. Without an end to the fighting and adequate humanitarian access, the cost will continue to rise exponentially,” Russell, who visited Gaza last week, said at a council briefing on women and children there.

“Gaza is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child,” said Russell. “In Gaza, the consequences of violence against children are devastating, indiscriminate and disproportionate.”

Israel on Wednesday agreed to a four-day ceasefire with Hamas to allow humanitarian aid and the release of at least 50 hostages held by the militants in exchange for at least 150 Palestinians being held in Israeli custody.

“Women in Gaza have told us that they pray for peace , but if peace does not come, they pray for a quick death, in their sleep, with their children in their arms. We should be ashamed that any mother, anywhere, has such a prayer,” UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous told the 15-member council.

Israel's UN ambassador Gilad Erdan accused Hamas of exploiting children in Gaza for years and repeated long-standing criticism that the UN is biased against Israel.

“Make no mistake, as soon as the ceasefire ends, we will continue to pursue our goals with full force. We will not stop until we have eliminated all of Hamas’ terrorist capabilities and ensured that they can no longer rule Gaza and threaten both Israeli civilians and Gaza’s women and children,” he said.

Hamas denies operating in places like hospitals in Gaza and denies using civilians as human shields.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the ceasefire as "an important step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to end the suffering".

The head of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the world body's sexual and reproductive health agency, told the Security Council that 5,500 pregnant women are expected to give birth in Gaza in the next month.

“Every day, around 180 women give birth in appalling conditions, with the future of their newborns uncertain,” said executive director Natalia Kanem, adding that UNFPA was also concerned about around 7,000 women who had given birth in the past 47 days and lacked access to care, water, sanitation and nutrition.

Mai Van (according to Reuters)

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