UNICEF raises alarm. "Gaza Strip, the Most dangerous place in the World for children"
12:04 PM EST, November 23, 2023
Catherine Russell, UNICEF's executive director, declared to the UN Security Council this Wednesday that the Gaza Strip is "the most dangerous place in the world for children". She reported an alarming statistic of 115 children perishing daily.
"Within a mere 46 days, over 5,300 Palestinian children were killed. This translates to the horrific reality of 115 children dying every single day for weeks at a stretch," Russell said, following her return from a trip to the southern Gaza Strip.
"Based on our reports, child fatalities represent an unprecedented 40 percent of all deaths in the Gaza Strip. This fact alone makes the Gaza Strip the most perilous place for children worldwide," she added forcefully. She revealed that 1,200 children are still unaccounted for, and some may tragically be buried beneath the rubble of buildings demolished in Israeli bombings.
Russell further highlighted that dangers for children in the Gaza Strip aren't confined to the direct threat of the Israeli military. They also include potential epidemics, lack of potable water—particularly critical for newborns—and malnutrition.
"Short Humanitarian Breaks Not Adequate"
"Children in the Gaza Strip are experiencing grave danger due to the disastrous living conditions. One million children in this territory are at risk due to food security concerns, potentially leading to a severe malnutrition crisis," warned the head of UNICEF.
"Intervals of humanitarian breaks simply aren't sufficient for the survival of children or for humanitarian workers to be effective. It's why UNICEF is urgently calling for a humanitarian ceasefire, to put an immediate stop to this bloodshed," she appealed forcefully.
Natalia Kanem, Chief of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), voiced her concern for expectant women in the Gaza Strip and the ominous future faced by their unborn children.
"In the midst of the violent conflict and devastation in the Gaza Strip, an expected 5,500 pregnant women will deliver their babies in the next month. Every day, around 180 women are giving birth in appalling conditions, creating a bleak and uncertain future for their newborns," she said solemnly.
