United Nations: Gaza becomes "hell, graveyard for thousands of children"

Liên hợp quốc: Gaza thành địa ngục, nghĩa địa của hàng nghìn trẻ em - 1 — Funeral of a Palestinian child in the Gaza Strip (Photo: Reuters).

More than 8,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed, according to Gaza's health ministry.

"Our worst fears of dozens, then hundreds and eventually thousands of children dying have been realised in just two weeks," James Elder, a spokesman for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), said in a statement on October 31.

"The numbers are horrifying, with more than 3,450 children dead. This number is increasing significantly every day. Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of children. It is hell on earth for ordinary people," Mr. Elder stressed.

At least 6,300 children have been injured in conflict in nearly a month, said Catherine Russell, executive director of UNICEF.

According to Ms Russell, an average of 420 Palestinian children are killed or injured every day in the Gaza Strip. "These figures will shock and sadden us to the core," she stressed.

The United Nations calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the opening of all access points to the Gaza Strip for the safe, sustainable and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid, including water, food, medical supplies and fuel.

“And without a ceasefire, without water, without medicine, we will face even greater horrors and will cause suffering to innocent children,” warned Elder.

According to him, figures from Gaza health authorities show that 940 children are missing.

"It is unbearable to think of children buried under the rubble, with little chance or possibility of getting them out," added UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) spokesman Jens Laerke.

Israel's blockade of Gaza has also cut off fuel, electricity and water supplies to the strip, while reducing aid deliveries to a "trickle" that cannot meet the needs of the 2.3 million Palestinians living there.

Mr Elder said the threats to children “go far beyond bombs and bullets”, noting that water shortages and trauma were among the other threats facing the Gaza Strip.

He warned that more than a million children in Gaza face a severe water crisis as Gaza's daily water production is at just 5% of its production capacity.

“When the fighting finally stops, the cost to children and their communities will be felt for generations to come,” he warned.

Mr Elder stressed that before the current conflict began, more than 800,000 children in Gaza – three-quarters of all children there – were identified as needing mental health and psychological support.

Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said nearly 70% of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip in the past three weeks were children and women.

He said the number of children killed in Gaza since October 7 has surpassed the number of children killed annually across conflict zones around the world since 2019.

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