Over 50 Children Killed in Gaza's Jabalia amid Israeli Airstrikes, Says UNICEF
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – UNICEF condemned Israel's recent airstrikes on Gaza’s Jabalia, reporting over 50 child deaths in 48 hours and raising concerns about civilian casualties amid ongoing Israeli violence.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) issued a statement condemning the escalating Israeli violence in northern Gaza, specifically citing airstrikes that have killed over 50 children in Jabalia within the past 48 hours.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell described it as a "deadly weekend of attacks in North Gaza," with children bearing the brunt of these strikes. Russell expressed deep concern, emphasizing the dire consequences of the “indiscriminate strikes on civilians in the Gaza Strip.”
In a related incident, Russell reported that a UNICEF staff member involved in a polio vaccination campaign narrowly escaped injury when her vehicle was struck by gunfire from a suspected Israeli quadcopter while driving through Jabalia-Elnazla on Saturday. Although the car sustained damage, the staff member was unharmed but left "deeply shaken," according to Russell.
"The attacks on Jabalia, the vaccination clinic, and the UNICEF staff member are further examples of the grave consequences of indiscriminate strikes on civilians," Russell added.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera Arabic reported that Israeli jets bombed a residential house in Jabalia, resulting in at least three fatalities and injuring several others. In addition to airstrikes, Israeli forces have been shelling northern Gaza and conducted two separate raids on Beit Lahiya, as confirmed by Al Jazeera Arabic sources.
The Quds News Network also reported Israeli airstrikes targeting residential buildings in the Jabalia refugee camp, heightening concerns over civilian safety in the area.