Grave violations against children, including
killing, maiming and abductions, are taking place in the
Gaza Strip, according to the Executive Director on the UN
Children’s Fund, UNICEF.
Catherine Russell visited Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in
the south of the besieged enclave on Wednesday.
“Today I visited the Gaza Strip to
meet with children, their
families and UNICEF staff. What
I saw and heard was devastating. They have endured repeated
bombardment, loss and displacement. Inside the Strip, there
is nowhere safe for Gaza’s one million children to turn.
The parties to the conflict are committing grave
violations against children; these include killing, maiming,
abductions, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of
humanitarian access – all of which UNICEF condemns.
In Gaza, more than 4,600 children have reportedly been killed,
with nearly 9,000 reportedly injured.
Graves of rubble
Many children are missing and believed buried under the rubble of
collapsed buildings and homes, the tragic result of the use
of explosive weapons in populated
areas. Meanwhile, newborn babies who require
specialized care have died in one of Gaza’s hospitals
as power and medical supplies run out, and violence continues
with indiscriminate effect.
At the Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis, I met with patients and
displaced families seeking shelter and safety. A 16-year-old girl
told me from her hospital bed that her neighborhood had been
bombed. She survived but doctors say she will never be able to
walk again.
In the hospital’s neonatal ward, tiny babies were clinging to
life in incubators, as doctors worried how they could keep the
machines running without fuel.
During my time in Gaza, I also met with UNICEF staff who are
continuing to deliver for children amidst the danger and
devastation.
They shared their own
heartbreaking stories with me of the impact
of the war on
their children, of family members
killed, and of how they have
been displaced many times over.
Many people, including our staff and their families, are now
living in overcrowded shelters with very little water,
food or decent sanitation – conditions which could lead
to disease outbreaks.
Overwhelming risks
The risk to humanitarian actors inside Gaza cannot be
overstated. More than 100 UNRWA staff
have been killed since October.
UNICEF and our partners are doing everything we
can, including bringing in desperately needed humanitarian
supplies. But diesel fuel has practically run out, causing
some hospitals and health centers to stop functioning. Without
fuel, desalination plants cannot produce drinking water and
humanitarian supplies cannot be distributed.
The intermittent opening of Gaza’s border crossings to shipments
of humanitarian supplies is insufficient to meet the skyrocketing
needs. And with winter around the corner, the need for fuel could
become even more acute. When I left Gaza today, the rain was
pounding down, adding to the misery.
Protect and assist
I am here to do whatever I can to advocate for the protection of
children. I once again call on all parties to ensure that
children are protected and assisted, as per international
humanitarian law. Only the parties to the conflict can truly stop
this horror.
I also call on the parties to implement an immediate humanitarian
ceasefire, to safely release all abducted and detained children,
and to ensure that humanitarian actors have safe, sustained and
unimpeded access to reach those in need with the full range of
lifesaving services and supplies.”
