UNICEF urges ceasefire as humanitarian situation hit lethal lows

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: UNCIEF+ Al Mayadeen English
14 Oct 2023 14:41

UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder expresses deep concern over the ongoing Israeli atrocities, with hundreds of children massacred, and the toll rising by the hour.

Palestinian children wounded in Israeli strikes brought to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Oct. 11, 2023 (AP)

UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder delivered a stark message today, emphasizing the devastating impact of the ongoing Israeli aggression on children. He lamented the horrific toll of the ongoing Israeli atrocities, with hundreds of children killed and injured and an alarming increase in casualties every hour.

At a press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on Saturday, Elder called for an immediate ceasefire, especially since 1.1 million people, nearly half of them children, have been instructed to be forcibly displaced in anticipation of a ground invasion in one of the most densely populated areas on Earth. However, he noted that there are few safe havens for Gaza's civilians, and the situation has reached critical levels.

“Hundreds and hundreds of children have been killed and injured. Every hour in Gaza the number of children killed rises. The killing of children must stop," he called out

“The images and stories are clear: children with horrendous burns, mortar wounds, and lost limbs. And hospitals are utterly overwhelmed to treat them. Yet the numbers keep rising," the UNICEF Spokesperson stated.

Clearly not mentioning any crimes against them, the UNICEF spokesperson called for Israeli children being held in Gaza to be released, although there are no official reports that provide their numbers, if any.

And just yesterday, al-Qassam Brigades released a video showing how the Resistance fighters were treating children and infants during their ongoing operation, slamming unsubstantiated reports of them committing crimes against children.

#WATCH | The Palestinian Resistance Military Media releases a video showing how Israeli children were treated during #OperationAlAqsaFlood, refuting Western and Israeli lies and fake news regarding this subject.#Gaza pic.twitter.com/HCR6runfTh
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 13, 2023

Yesterday the Israeli Prime Minister's office said that it had confirmed Hamas beheaded babies & children while we were live on the air. The Israeli government now says today it CANNOT confirm babies were beheaded. I needed to be more careful with my words and I am sorry. https://t.co/Yrc68znS1S
— Sara Sidner (@sarasidnerCNN) October 12, 2023

The humanitarian crisis is dire, with children and families in Gaza running out of essential supplies like food, water, electricity, medicine, and access to hospitals due to prolonged airstrikes and disruptions in supply routes, he further stressed.

Elder warned that the region's sole power plant ceased operations, depriving residents of electricity, water, and wastewater treatment. Drinking water sources have been severely impacted, affecting over a million people.

Elder further acknowledged the urgent need for humanitarian access to provide life-saving services and supplies to children and their families, wherever they may be. He underlined that it is children who bear the heaviest burden, and the current situation is tragically no exception.

“In every war, the ones who suffer the most are children. This is tragically true today,” he said.

Israeli and Western media seem to have focused on non-existent footage that alleges #Palestinian Resistance beheading Israeli babies.

However, they deliberately turned a blind eye to the thousands of videos that circulated on social media platforms documenting "Israel's"… pic.twitter.com/eFChLFJ9yA
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 14, 2023

A father and his child in #Palestine comfort each other after being targeted by the Israeli war machines. The IOF is deliberately targeting residential neighborhoods, leveling whole buildings to the ground atop civilians in #Gaza.#PalestineUnderAttack #GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/gjEWEhUMSx
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 13, 2023

Elder's words come as Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza said there can be no valid death count in Gaza now as the bodies are currently administered en masse into hospitals, all of whom are civilians.

The latest report estimates that the number of Palestinians killed in the aggression exceeded 2,000, including hundreds of children and women, noting that the occupation is intensifying air and sea strikes on Gaza, which predicts that the numbers are expected to rise massively.

In details provided later, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that 2,215 citizens, including 724 children, were martyred and 8,714 people were injured since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.

The ruthless Israeli crimes against #Palestinians resulted in 256 martyrs including 20 children and 1,788 wounded in the past 24 hours only. The Israeli occupation has been dropping #Gaza the equivalent of years of #US bombing in #Afghanistan and #Vietnam.#Palestine… pic.twitter.com/OFclygJj7K
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 14, 2023

It further detailed that in the past 24 hours, Israeli occupation forces killed 324 citizens, including 126 children and 88 women, and wounded 1,018 others, with a large number of martyrs being unrecognizable and others remaining unidentified, as per Al Mayadeen's correspondent, as their bodies are dismembered or completely scorched.