UNICEF condemns horror inflicted on Gaza children suffering Israeli bombing
The UN agency for children has warned that the ongoing Israeli strikes on Gaza have inflicted mental and emotional damage on Palestinian children in Gaza depriving them of any chance of a normal childhood.
Share It :
UNICEF spokesman, Salim Oweis, made the remarks as a press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva after a visit to Gaza that he was in deep disbelief at what he witnessed.
“I was shocked by the depth of suffering, destruction and widespread displacement in Gaza. The footage the world sees on television gives an important peek into the living hell people are enduring for over 10 months. What it does not fully show is how behind the crumbled buildings – whole neighborhoods, livelihoods and dreams have been leveled to the ground,” Oweis said.
The spokesperson told the audience – following visits to Deir al-Balah, Khan Yunis and the north of Gaza – that scenes looked almost like a set from a disaster film but with real-life devastating consequences.
The UNICEF official emphasized that there is no safe place in Gaza and everything from food, water, fuel, medicine and all other necessities are scarce, affecting families and children particularly. “The life of a child in Gaza, in month ten of this conflict, is not a life,” he said
Oweis emphasized that the children in Gaza live in exhaustion and fear due to the disastrous conditions of the relentless war. He pointed out that children are deprived of sleep, safety, and opportunities to learn and play.
“When you walk through the mazes of makeshift shelters, you struggle to climb the sand they lay on and you smell the strong odor of sewage filling the paths around. You are struck by the many children hovering around asking one question: “Mr. When will the war end?” he said.
Oweis also spoke of the severe lack of hygiene supplies leading to serious skin diseases. “Families urgently asked me for soap and hygiene supplies. They are using water and salt to clean their children or boiling water with lemons to try and treat skin rashes,” he added.
He stressed that a child with a disease in Gaza “has been handed a sentence to a slow death because he cannot receive the treatment he needs, and he is unlikely to survive long enough to make it out,” emphasizing that their only hope of survival is a ceasefire.
