Photo: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem/File photo.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell told the UN Security Council that reports showed that more than 5,300 children in Gaza had been killed since October 7, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel that killed 1,200 and took scores of civilian hostages.
Israel has concentrated fire on Gaza in response. The Gaza Strip has a population of 2.3 million.
“The true cost of this Israeli-Palestinian war will be measured in the lives of children who have been killed and whose lives have been forever changed by the violence,” Russell said during a visit to Gaza last week, speaking at a meeting of the Committee for Women and Children there. “Unless the war is stopped and a full humanitarian response is allowed, this cost will rise dramatically.”
Israel has bombed Gaza and surrounded the enclave with tanks and ground troops.
“Gaza is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child. In Gaza, the impact of war on children has been severe, indiscriminate and disproportionate,” said Ms Russell.
On Wednesday, Israel agreed to a four-day ceasefire with Hamas to allow humanitarian aid to reach Gaza and free 50 hostages held by Hamas in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
“Women in Gaza have told us that they pray for peace , but if it does not come, they pray to die peacefully in their sleep, holding their children in their arms,” UN Women’s Rights Director Sima Bahous told the UN Security Council. “We should be ashamed that any mother anywhere in the world should have such a prayer.”
Israel accuses Hamas of child abuse
Israel's UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan has accused Hamas of abusing children in Gaza for years and reiterated his long-standing criticism of the UN's bias against Israel.
“Make no mistake, as soon as the ceasefire ends, we will continue to pursue our objectives with full force. We will not rest until we have completely destroyed Hamas and ensured that they cannot continue to rule Gaza and threaten the people of Israel and the women and children of Gaza.”
Hamas has denied allegations that it operates in civilian areas such as hospitals in Gaza and has denied allegations that it uses civilians as human shields.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised the ceasefire as “an important step in the right direction but more needs to be done to end the suffering in Gaza”.
The head of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), a UN sexual and reproductive health agency, told the Security Council that about 5,500 pregnant women are expected to give birth next month in Gaza.
“Every day, around 180 women give birth in these alarming conditions, and the future of these newborns is uncertain,” said UNFPA Executive Director Natalia Kanem.
She also said UNFPA is concerned that some 7,000 women who have given birth in the past 47 days are not receiving the care, water, sanitation and nutrition they need.
Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Reuters)
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