UNICEF chief calls for 'end to senseless killing of children' in Rafah

Head of the UN’s children’s fund (UNICEF) on Monday demanded an “end to the senseless killing of children” following the Israeli airstrike on tents housing displaced people in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza Strip, Anadolu news agency reported.

“Images of burned children and families emerging from bombed tents in Rafah shocks us all. The reported killing of children sheltering in makeshift tents is unconscionable,” Catharine Russell wrote on X.

Underscoring the severity of the situation, Russell said: “For over 7 months, we’ve witnessed this tragedy unfold, resulting in thousands of children killed or injured.”

She further called for “an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and an end to the senseless killing of children.”

At least 35 people were killed and dozens injured as Israel targeted a camp for displaced people and houses in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Sunday, said medical sources and officials.

The attack occurred near the logistics base of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in Tal al-Sultan, said the Gaza-based Government Media Office.

Israel has been waging a brutal offensive against Gaza since October, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire. The offensive has killed at least 36,000 Palestinians, mainly children and women, and wounded almost 80,000 others.

More than seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of “genocide” at the ICJ, which has ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza. According to South Africa, which took the occupation state to the ICJ, Israel is ignoring the court’s orders.

Read: Israel’s Netanyahu, Gallant in ICC Prosecutor’s crosshairs over Gaza war crimes