More than 13,000 children killed since October 7 in Gaza: UNICEF
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A significant number of Gaza's children are experiencing severe malnutrition, to the point where they lack the energy to even shed tears.
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A Palestinian carries a relative killed in the Israeli bombardments of the Gaza Strip in front of the morgue of the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Thursday, March 7, 2024 (AP)
The UN children's agency on Sunday reported that more than 13,000 children have been martyred in Gaza since the start of "Israel's" genocidal campaign.
The agency noted that a significant number of Gaza's children are experiencing severe malnutrition, to the point where they lack the energy to even shed tears.
"Thousands more have been injured or we can't even determine where they are. They may be stuck under rubble ... We haven't seen that rate of death among children in almost any other conflict in the world," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell told CBS News' "Face the Nation" program on Sunday.
"I've been in wards of children who are suffering from severe anemia malnutrition, the whole ward is absolutely quiet. Because the children, the babies ... don't even have the energy to cry." Russell said there were "very great bureaucratic challenges" moving trucks into Gaza for aid and assistance.
One in every three children in northern Gaza under the age two is now acutely malnourished, according to a screening conducted by UNICEF and its partners. The numbers reflect 31% of the children’s population of northern Gaza under age two. It is a staggering escalation from the… pic.twitter.com/0fHroLuQWj
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) March 16, 2024
The Israeli regime has been restricting the entry of food and humanitarian aid as part of its genocidal campaign on the Gaza Strip.
Earlier this month, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food told Reuters that "Israel has mounted a starvation campaign against the Palestinian people in Gaza."
On Saturday, UNRWA reported that one out of every three children under the age of two in northern Gaza is currently facing acute malnutrition, indicating an impending famine.
Read more: 'Israel' 'intentionally' starving Gazans, destroying food system: UN
Earlier today, Human Rights Watch issued a call for the international community to implement sanctions on "Israel" due to the regime's failure to comply with court orders from the ICJ regarding the prevention of committing acts of genocide.
"States must impose sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel, to compel it to comply with the order issued by the International Court of Justice," the organization wrote, noting that "Tel Aviv" has failed to comply with the court's orders and has not worked to deliver aid and basic services to Gaza's residents.
على الدول فرض عقوبات موجّهة وحظر تسليح على #إسرائيل لتمتثل للأمر الصادر عن "محكمة العدل الدولية" بإيصال المساعدات والخدمات الأساسية إلى الفلسطينيين في #غزة
— هيومن رايتس ووتش (@hrw_ar) March 17, 2024
تفاصيل: https://t.co/OwnDoptOvj pic.twitter.com/KPPEH1eQ2G
In late January of this year, the ICJ issued orders for "Israel" to take all measures to prevent acts of genocide. It further requested that the Israeli army refrain from any acts of genocide and prevent the issuing of statements inciting acts of genocide.
The ICJ also requested that measures be taken to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid and to refrain from disposing of any evidence that could be used in the case filed against it.
In a statement published on February 26, the director of the organization's Palestine branch, Omar Shakir, said that the Israeli regime "is starving Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians, putting them in even more peril than before the World Court’s binding order," noting that the regime "has simply ignored the court’s ruling, and in some ways even intensified its repression, including further blocking lifesaving aid."
"Israel’s ground forces are able to reach all parts of Gaza, so Israeli authorities clearly have the capacity to ensure that aid reaches all of Gaza," Shakir said.
"Failure to ensure Israel's compliance puts the lives of millions of Palestinians at risk and threatens to undermine the institutions charged with ensuring respect for international law and the system that ensures civilian protection worldwide," he added.
