UNICEF: Children in Gaza Endure Constant Terror from Israeli Bombardment


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said children in the besieged Gaza Strip are living in "constant terror due to Israeli bombardment."

UNICEF spokesperson James Elder highlighted the deteriorating situation for children and families in Gaza, stating it is getting "worse and worse" each day.

"The situation in Gaza is worsening for children day by day, with the intense heat and families crammed into tents on the sand," Elder said.

He emphasized that "with ongoing restrictions on aid entry, more than 250 days into the war on Gaza, Gazans are facing extreme difficulties in obtaining food for their children."

Elder also noted that nearly 3,000 malnourished children are at risk of dying before their families' eyes in Gaza.

"There are 3,000 children we were providing with emergency food aid, and now we do not know their whereabouts," he added.

Separately, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) stated that more than 50,000 children in the Gaza Strip require immediate medical treatment for acute malnutrition.

The agency mentioned in a recent statement that “with continued restrictions to humanitarian access, people in Gaza continue to face desperate levels of hunger.”

“UNRWA teams work tirelessly to reach families with aid but the situation is catastrophic,” the agency said.

Israel's military assault in the Gaza Strip has had a devastating impact on children, with more than 14,000 reportedly killed during months of aggression, according to the latest estimate by the Palestinian Ministry of Health. There are no safe spaces for Palestinians.

The brutal Israeli war has claimed the lives of over 37,300 people.

All of Gaza’s children have been exposed to the traumatic experiences of war, the consequences of which will last a lifetime. Their homes have been destroyed, and their families torn apart.

Around 1.7 million people in the Gaza Strip are estimated to have been internally displaced, half of them children. They lack adequate access to water, food, fuel, and medicine.

Even during Eid al-Adha, Palestinians in Gaza find little relief from the US-backed Israeli war.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which recently ordered Tel Aviv to halt its operation in Rafah city of southern Gaza, where over 1 million Palestinians sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

More than eight months into the Israeli onslaught, vast areas of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh condemned the Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip, stating that Palestinians and the resistance will remain steadfast in defending their territory and sanctities.

In a speech marking Eid al-Adha, Haniyeh said Israel has achieved none of its objectives despite the months-long genocide in Gaza.

Haniyeh also called on the international community to take action to force Israel to open all Gaza border crossings and return control of the Rafah crossing into Egypt to Palestinians.