According to reports from Gaza, crowds of people are queuing “in the rain and in the cold” for humanitarian aid. More children killed in Gaza than in four years of conflicts worldwide Peace and security
Amid reports of new Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Wednesday night, the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said more children had been killed in the Gaza Strip in recent months than in four years of conflict around the world.
“This war is against children, against their childhood and their future,” said UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, calling “stunning” the latest data from Gaza health authorities, which shows that no deaths have occurred in the enclave in the past four months. fewer than 12,300 children and adolescents – down from 12,193 between 2019 and 2022 in combat worldwide.
Call for a ceasefire
The head of UNRWA repeated repeated calls from the international community for an immediate ceasefire in the enclave, where intense Israeli bombing in response to the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 has leveled entire neighborhoods.
According to local health authorities, 31,184 Palestinians have been killed and 72,889 injured in Gaza to date. According to Israeli data as of March 12, since the start of the ground operation in Gaza, 247 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,475 injured.
New losses in UNRWA
Meanwhile, at least one UNRWA staff member was killed and 22 were wounded when Israeli forces struck a food distribution center in the eastern city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
“The attack on one of the few remaining UNRWA distribution centers comes at a time when food supplies are running low, malnutrition is widespread and in some areas is turning to famine,” said Philippe Lazzarini. “Every day we transmit to the parties to the conflict the coordinates of all our facilities in the Gaza Strip. Just yesterday, the Israeli army received coordinates, including this object.”
Since the war began five months ago, at least 165 UNRWA staff have died, some in the line of duty. More than 150 agency facilities were damaged, some were completely destroyed, including many schools.
Children are most vulnerable to hunger
UN humanitarian agencies have again and again warned of the catastrophic situation in Gaza, where one in four residents is on the brink of famine – at least 576,000 people. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 25 people died from acute malnutrition and dehydration in northern Gaza, 21 of whom were reported to be children.
Children The UN fund (UNICEF) warned on Wednesday that children and adolescents are least able to cope with hunger and disease. A million children have already fled their homes as a result of the war, including about 17,000 unaccompanied or separated from their parents—one percent of Gaza’s 1.7 million displaced residents.
Some relief for the northern sector
As part of UN efforts to ease the catastrophic situation caused by ongoing fighting and Israeli bombing, a World Food Program (WFP) humanitarian aid convoy arrived in Gaza City on Tuesday. It was the agency’s first successful mission in the northern Strip since February 20.
“With northern Gaza residents on the brink of famine, we need daily supplies to the north, as well as direct points of entry,” WFP said in its latest update on the current crisis.
Over the past week, 19 UN humanitarian partners have been providing daily food assistance in Gaza, including food rations and hot meals. , OCHA reported.
Help for hospitals
On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners provided assistance to two hospitals – Al -Shifa” and “Al-Helu” – in the north of Gaza.
Food and 24 thousand liters of fuel were delivered to “Al-Shifa”, as well as medical supplies for 42 thousands of patients, including drugs, anesthetics and surgical materials.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted in a post on social media X that Al-Shifa operates in minimum regime and urgently needs specialized medical workers. In Al-Helu, he said, there is still an acute problem of shortages of fuel, food, surgical equipment and medical personnel.