UNICEF seeks emergency humanitarian access in Gaza to provide aid to children

The United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday that they need immediate access into Gaza to provide humanitarian access to children affected during the clashes between Israel and Hamas. The fighting has killed at least 213 Palestinians and 12 people in Israel so far. 

In an official statement, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said, “UNICEF is calling for the immediate cessation of hostilities on humanitarian grounds to allow the entry of staff and essential supplies, including fuel, medical items, first-aid kits, and COVID-19 vaccines. We are also calling for the establishment of humanitarian corridors so that we can deliver these supplies safely so that families can reunite and access essential services, and so that the sick or wounded can be evacuated."

'These children need a ceasefire now...'

She added, “Each and every day the conflict continues, children across the State of Palestine and Israel will suffer. These children need a ceasefire now, as well as a long-term political solution to the broader conflict. They deserve far better than this horrible cycle of violence and fear that has gone on for far too long.”

The UNICEF Executive Director informed that at least 60 children have been killed in less than 10 days, almost 30,000 children have been displaced, an estimated 250,000 children need mental health and protection services, nearly 40 schools have been damaged and around  48 schools, most of them run by UNRWA, are being used as emergency shelters for families seeking refuge from the violence.

Fore also addressed the problems of lack of sanitation, water supply, and electricity in Gaza, and said, “The already weakened water and sanitation systems have been further compromised as a result of this latest escalation. Essential infrastructure – including groundwater wells and reservoirs, desalination and wastewater plants, water delivery networks, and pumping stations – has sustained significant damage. We estimate that 325,000 people need emergency water and sanitation services, without which they are more likely to contract potentially deadly infectious diseases."

“Electricity output across Gaza has dropped by roughly 60 percent, leaving hospitals increasingly dependent on generators for the provision of essential healthcare services. These generators require significant amounts of fuel to function. Any reduction in health care capacity could also jeopardize treatment for those with COVID-19. "

58,000 people displaced by violence: UN 

More than 58,000 people have been displaced by Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip, according to the latest figures presented by the spokesperson for the United Nations general-secretary on Tuesday. Speaking in New York, Stéphane Dujarric said 47,000 of the displaced men, women, and children had sought shelter at schools run by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

(With agency Inputs)