UNICEF: War tearing apart children’s lives in Gaza, Lebanon

The lives of thousands of children in the Middle East are being torn apart by Israel’s genocide in Gaza and war on Lebanon, a senior United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) official said on Saturday.

“As every day passes, the lives of children across Israel, the State of Palestine, and Lebanon are torn apart in unimaginable ways,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF’s executive director, in a statement.

“Children do not start wars and they have no power to end them, yet their lives are devastated by conflict. Tens of thousands of children have died. Thousands more are in captivity, displaced, orphaned, out of school, and suffer trauma from violence and war,” she added.

She slammed the death and suffering of children as shameful, explaining that  “the daily bloodshed and horror for children are an affront to the most fundamental values of humanity.”

“The violence against children, the most vulnerable among us, must end.”

Russell stressed the need for all parties to protect civilians, including children, humanitarian workers and civilian infrastructure, including schools and health facilities.

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She also called on them to allow unfettered access to life-saving aid, noting that those obligations have been “flagrantly disregarded”.

Earlier, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Palestine, Jamie McGoldrick, said children in the Gaza Strip are at high risks of disease and bombs.

McGoldrick added that 625,000 children in Gaza have been deprived of a full year of education, indicating that the Palestinians in Gaza face the threat of hunger, unsanitary conditions and lack of care.

He called for ensuring the safe reception, dispatch and distribution of aid in the besieged enclave, noting that attacks on UNRWA are unacceptable and put UN humanitarian efforts at risk.

McGoldrick called for providing protection to civilians and humanitarian workers, and stressed the need to open all crossings in order to deliver aid, including the Rafah Crossing.

Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report: “The Israeli government’s attacks and unlawful blockade against Gaza have inflicted profound trauma and suffering on Palestinian children, especially those with disabilities.”

“The Israeli military’s extensive use of explosive weapons has caused serious injuries resulting in permanent disabilities and lifelong scarring for children in Gaza,” it added.