About 30% of infrastructure is affected, at least 17,000 children are homeless

More than 120 days of conflict between Israel and Hamas have left about 30% of homes in the Gaza Strip destroyed or damaged.

Dải Gaza: Khoảng 30% cơ sở hạ tầng bị ảnh hưởng, ít nhất 17.000 trẻ em đang bơ vơ. (Washington Post)

Gaza Strip: About 30% of infrastructure affected, at least 17,000 children are homeless. (Source: Washington Post)

Reuters reported that the above information was announced by the United Nations Satellite Center (UNOSAT) on February 2.

UNOSAT released satellite images and stated: “A total of 69,147 structures, or approximately 30% of the total number of structures in the Gaza Strip, were affected.”

Of these, 22,131 structures were identified as destroyed and about 14,066 buildings were said to have suffered serious damage, while 32,950 structures suffered minor damage.

UNOSAT released photos taken on January 6-7 and compared them with six other series of photos, many of which were taken before Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip. Accordingly, the Gaza City and Khan Yunis areas were the most severely damaged compared to previous analyses.

According to the Hamas government health agency, so far, the Israeli military campaign has killed more than 27,000 Palestinians. The airstrikes, shelling and destruction have completely destroyed urban areas, most of which are civilian structures.

On the same day, the United Nations (UN) estimated that at least 17,000 children in the Gaza Strip are currently homeless without parents or relatives.

Speaking from Jerusalem, Jonathan Crickx, the communications director for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Palestine, said the figure represented 1 percent of the 1.7 million people displaced in Gaza. The total population in the area is about 2.3 million.

“Behind every one of those statistics is a child facing this terrible new reality,” he stressed.

Due to lack of food, water and shelter, families are unable to take care of additional children. The mental health of Palestinian children is severely affected. Many show signs of extreme anxiety, loss of appetite, insomnia and panic attacks whenever they hear bombs exploding.

The UN official noted that UNICEF now estimates that nearly all children in Gaza, or more than 1 million, need mental health support. The only way to provide mental health and psychosocial support on a large scale is if Hamas and Israel reach a ceasefire.

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