Gazan children still face unrelenting war: UNICEF

After almost 100 days of violence, killing, bombardment, and captivity for children in Gaza, their suffering continues, a UNICEF official said on Friday.

“With every passing day, children and families in the Gaza Strip face increased risk of death from the sky, disease from lack of safe water, and deprivation from lack of food,” UNICEF special representative on children in Palestine, Lucia Elmi, said at a UN press conference.

She said for two remaining Israeli children still held hostage in Gaza, their nightmare that began on Oct. 7 continues, and “they must be unconditionally and safely released.”

“And the situation continues to deteriorate rapidly, UNICEF last week spoke of the ‘triple threat’ stalking children in the Gaza Strip: conflict, disease, and malnutrition,” said Elmi.

UNICEF’s formidable challenges

The UN children’s agency representative said UNICEF is doing everything it can but faces a formidable challenge addressing the issues.

“Children in Gaza are running out of time, while most of the lifesaving humanitarian aid they desperately need remains stranded between insufficient access corridors and protracted layers of inspections,” said Elmi.

She asserted that mounting needs and a constrained response is a formula for a disaster of epic proportions.

Thousands of children have already died, and thousands more will quickly follow if urgent bottlenecks are not immediately fixed, said Elim, as she warned that nowhere is safe in the Gaza Strip.

“The intense bombardment and ongoing conflict in densely populated urban areas threatens the lives of civilians and humanitarian aid workers,” she said.

The ongoing bombardment is also impeding the delivery of desperately needed assistance.