2,300+ Gaza children killed, 5,300+ injured in war: UNICEF
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Over 700 people were martyred during the past 24 hours, 300 of them were children.
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Palestinians pull a boy from the rubble after an Israeli strike on the Zaroub family house in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestine, Tuesday, Oct.24, 2023 (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday that the war on Gaza has resulted in the tragic loss of over 2,300 children in the Gaza Strip and more than 30 Israeli children.
"Unrelenting attacks have taken a devastating toll on Gaza's children, with a reported 2,360 fatalities and 5,364 injuries. More than 30 Israeli children have reportedly lost their lives. We urgently appeal for a ceasefire, humanitarian access, and the release of hostages," UNICEF wrote on X.
Unrelenting attacks have taken a devastating toll on Gaza's children, with a reported 2,360 fatalities and 5,364 injuries.
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) October 24, 2023
More than 30 Israeli children have reportedly lost their lives.
We urgently appeal for a ceasefire, humanitarian access, and the release of hostages.
In a separate statement, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said that over 700 people were martyred during the past 24 hours, adding that 300 of them were children.
Read more: West's backing of 'Israel' raises regional security concerns: Iran MFA
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has announced that it will cease its operations in the Gaza Strip by Wednesday if essential fuel needs are not met.
As of Monday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that there are approximately 590,000 individuals who are taking refuge in 150 UNRWA facilities within Gaza.
In the same period, UNRWA verified the loss of 35 of its personnel in Gaza since October 7 and reported damage to 40 UN facilities.
The White House stated on Tuesday that a ceasefire in Gaza "would only benefit Hamas."
"A ceasefire right now really only benefits Hamas," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told journalists.
The UN Security Council is currently in the process of examining a UN resolution proposed by Russia for the establishment of a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza as well as the creation of corridors for aid to reach the affected population.
"Notes in this regard that humanitarian ceasefire agreement could play a vital role to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance in order to help save civilian lives, and further calls for all measures, such as humanitarian pauses and establishment of humanitarian corridors," the draft resolution said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was due to hold a meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on the sidelines of the UN Security Council meeting, today.
However, after Guterres affirmed that "the attack by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum" and that "the Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation," Cohen announced that the meeting had been annulled.
