UNICEF says Gaza children threatened by triad of hunger, disease, war
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The UN underlines that numerous catastrophes threaten the lives of the children of Gaza amid worsening humanitarian conditions and an increase in Israeli hostilities on the blockaded strip.
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Palestinian children wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip are treated at al Aqsa Hospital on Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on November 21, 2023 (AP)
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) issued a stark warning on Friday, declaring that children in the Gaza Strip are confronted with a "deadly triple threat" consisting of diseases, severe malnutrition, and an alarming surge in violence.
As the Israeli war on Gaza nears its fourteenth week, thousands of children in the blockaded strip have already fallen victim to the devastating impact of bombardments and escalating Israeli aggression, coupled with rapidly deteriorating living conditions, according to a UNICEF press release.
The release highlighted a concerning rise in cases of diarrhea among children under five, with numbers soaring from 48,000 to 71,000 in just one week starting December 17. A primary target for the Israeli occupation has been Gaza's hospitals, with barely any available anymore, making adequate healthcare nearly impossible for the afflicted children.
This translates to approximately 3,200 new cases of diarrhea daily, marking a staggering 2,000% increase within a short timeframe and underscoring the rapid deterioration of child health in the Gaza Strip.
The report also emphasized a growing number of children facing inadequate nutrition, raising fears of acute malnutrition and mortality surpassing famine thresholds, once again not underlining that this is due to the Israeli policy of blockade and besiegement, barring or heavily restricting the entry of any foodstuffs into Gaza.
Israeli blockade, starvation
Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported in December that the Israeli occupation was intentionally hindering the supply of food and water in the Gaza Strip and using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare.
"Israeli forces are deliberately blocking the delivery of water, food, and fuel, while willfully impeding humanitarian assistance, apparently razing agricultural areas, and depriving the civilian population of objects indispensable to their survival … The Israeli government is using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare in the Gaza Strip, which is a war crime," the human rights group said in a statement.
HRW urged the Israeli occupation government to lift a blockade of the Strip, as well as called on the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and other states to suspend any military aid to "Israel".
UNICEF, moreover, expressed particular concern for the well-being of over 155,000 pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, as well as more than 135,000 children under the age of two, given their specific nutritional needs and vulnerability.
The release attributed the dire situation to damage inflicted by the Israeli occupation's military aggression on vital water, sanitation, and health systems in Gaza. With only ten medical facilities remaining in operation, they are struggling to cope with disease outbreaks.
"UNICEF is calling for the resumption of commercial traffic so the shelves of shops can be restocked, and for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to help save civilian lives and alleviate suffering," the release added, highlighting the urgent need for international intervention to address the crisis in Gaza.
It is noteworthy that the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) confirmed in early December that almost 1.9 million people, approximately 80% of Gaza's population, have been internally displaced since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Strip on October 7.
West Bank mirrors Gaza
As the Israeli occupation's aggression on Gaza's children keeps on escalating, the occupation forces' aggression on the occupied West Bank is highly similar to that in Gaza in that one of its primary targets is innocent children.
UNICEF deemed 2023 the deadliest year on record for youths in the occupied West Bank, attributing the surge to heightened Israeli police and military interventions, aggravated by the ongoing situation in Gaza.
In a statement released on Thursday, UNICEF highlighted a surge in "conflict-related violence" in the occupied West Bank this year, revealing that 83 children were killed in the past 12 weeks, surpassing the total for the entire year of 2022 by more than double.
“Children living in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have been experiencing grinding violence for many years, yet the intensity of that violence has dramatically increased" since October 7, the agency added.
As of Thursday, the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza, now on its 91st day, has resulted in the martyrdom of 22,500 Palestinians according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
According to the Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf Al-Qudra, more than 57,600 Palestinians have also been injured as a result of Israeli strikes in the strip, emphasizing that 70% of the victims are women and children.
Al-Qudra added that targetting Gaza's health facilities has led to the martyrdom of 326 healthcare workers and the destruction of 121 ambulances, emphasizing that the Israeli occupation deliberately targeted 150 health institutions and put 30 hospitals and 53 health centers out of service in the Gaza Strip.
The spokesman reported the arrest of 99 health workers by the occupation in inhumane conditions and accused the occupation of using physical and psychological torture against them, stressing that the occupation's actions endanger the Awda Hospital, Nasser Medical Complex, and Al-Amal Hospital which are affiliated with the Red Crescent Society in Khan Younis after repeatedly targeting them.
