Gaza, MINA – The head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) urged action late Friday as children in the Gaza Strip faced daily bloodshed.
“The world cannot look away when so many children are exposed to bloodshed, hunger, disease and cold every day,” Catherine Russell said in a statement, as quoted by Anadolu Agency.
“We urge all parties to the conflict, and those who have influence over them, to take decisive action to end the suffering of children, release all hostages, ensure that children’s rights are upheld, and comply with obligations under international humanitarian law.”
He noted that 33 people, including at least eight children, were reported killed on Thursday in another “devastating attack” on the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.
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“This latest violence adds to the already shocking toll of more than 160 children reported killed in Gaza in less than a month. That’s an average of four children killed every day since early November,” he said.
Russell stressed that over the past 14 months, more than 14,500 children have reportedly died and that nearly all of Gaza’s 1.1 million children are in dire need of protection and mental health care.
“There is no safe place in Gaza, nor is there any sense of stability for children, who lack basic necessities such as food, clean water, medical supplies and warm clothing as winter temperatures plunge,” Russell said.
“Preventable diseases continue to spread rapidly, including more than 800 cases of hepatitis, and more than 300 cases of chickenpox,” he added. (T/RE1/P2)
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