UNICEF: GAZA CHILD CASUALTIES ‘A STAIN ON OUR COLLECTIVE CONSCIENCE’

Wed 25 October 2023:

UNICEF has called the number of child casualties in Gaza “a growing stain on our collective conscience” as it calls for an urgent ceasefire.

The charity said “almost every child” in the region has been exposed to “deeply distressing events and trauma”, as Israeli airstrikes cause widespread destruction and food and water run out.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said nearly 5,800 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since 7 October, including 2,360 children.

In its statement, the UN’s children’s organisation said that a reported 2,360 children had been killed in Gaza and a reported 5,364 injured due to “unrelenting attacks” since the conflict erupted on 7 October after Hamas’ attack on Israel.

Adele Khodr, UNICEF’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa said: “The killing and maiming of children, abduction of children, attacks on hospitals and schools, and the denial of humanitarian access constitute grave violations of children’s rights.”

She also called the number of child deaths in Gaza “staggering” and “a growing stain on our collective conscience”.

The charity is calling for an immediate ceasefire and for fuel to be allowed to enter the region to keep healthcare facilities running.

“The footage of children being rescued from beneath the rubble, injured and in distress, while trembling in hospitals as they await treatment, portrays the immense horror these children are enduring. But without humanitarian access, the deaths from attacks could be the tip of the iceberg,” said Khodr.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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