UNICEF Warns of Gaza's Child Toll amid Renewed Israeli War


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – UNICEF issued a stark warning concerning the impact on children in the Gaza Strip amid a resurging and deadly conflict involving Israel.

"We cannot see more children with the wounds of war, with the burns, with the shrapnel littering their bodies, with the broken bones," stated James Elder, spokesperson for the United Nations children's agency on Friday.

"Inaction by those with influence is allowing the killing of children. This is a war on children," Elder emphasized.

The conflict was initiated by the Israeli regime on October 7 following an operation by Gaza's resistance movements. Until last week's Egyptian- and Qatari-mediated truce, the war resulted in the deaths of over 15,500 individuals, predominantly women and children in the coastal area. However, Israel resumed the aggression shortly after the truce, resulting in the deaths of nearly 200 more people, with thousands feared buried under rubble.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres previously expressed concerns, noting that the besieged Palestinian territory was transforming into "a graveyard for children."

"The health system here is overwhelmed," highlighted Elder. "I cannot overstate how the capacity has been reduced of hospitals in the last seven weeks."

"Clearly words, clearly pleas from the world do not make a difference on those who have the power to stop the killing, the maiming of children," Elder added.

These remarks come amidst unwavering military and political support for the Zionist regime from the United States, Israel's primary and longstanding ally.

The US has supplied the regime with numerous arms shipments since the conflict's inception. Additionally, Washington, viewing Tel Aviv's aggressive actions as "self-defense," has consistently vetoed UN Security Council resolutions urging the occupying regime to halt its aggression.