"Cold, sick and traumatized" - the ongoing nightmare for children in Gaza
Publication Date: 2024/12/20
AMMAN/GENEVA, 20 December 2024 – “Children in Gaza are cold, sick and traumatized. Hunger and malnutrition, and the dire living conditions more broadly, continue to put the lives of children at risk. Right now, over 96% of women and children in Gaza cannot meet their basic nutritional needs. Most are surviving on rationed flour, lentils, pasta, and canned food—a diet that slowly compromises their health.
“In November, an average of 65 truckloads of assistance entered Gaza, compared to 500 truckloads daily, before the war – and when Gaza still had internal food production capacity. The most northern part of Gaza has been under a near-total siege for 75 days now. Humanitarian assistance has been largely unable to reach the children in need for more than 10 weeks.
“Gaza must be one of the most heartbreaking places on earth for humanitarians. Every small effort to save a child’s life is undone by fierce devastation. For over 14 months, children have been at the sharp edge of this nightmare, with more than 14,500 children reportedly killed, thousands more injured.
“Last week, I met with Saad, who is five years old. He lost his eyesight in a bombing, and sustained a head injury and burns. When I met him this week, he told me: “my eyes went to heaven before I did”. As we were talking, a plane flew overhead. He froze, screamed, and clutched for his mother. Seeing this boy, recently rendered blind, in such deep distress was unbearable.
“As we approach the end of the year, a time when the world strives to celebrate family, peace, and togetherness, in Gaza the reality for over a million children is fear, utter deprivation and unimaginable suffering.
“The war on children in Gaza stands as a stark reminder of our collective responsibility."
Read the full statement at unicef.org
About UNICEF
UNICEF is the world’s leading humanitarian organization focused on children. We work in the most challenging areas to provide protection, healthcare and immunizations, education, safe water and sanitation and nutrition. As part of the United Nations, our unrivaled reach spans more than 190 countries and territories, ensuring we are on the ground to help the most disadvantaged children. While part of the UN system, UNICEF relies entirely on voluntary donations to finance our life-saving work. Please visit unicef.ca and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.