The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said the Gaza ceasefire agreement represents a “vital opportunity” to protect one million children in the Palestinian enclave.
“The Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have caused complete devastation. Words and numbers cannot describe the scale of the impact I saw on children – an impact that will last for generations,” UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Edouard Beigbeder, said in a statement.
He stressed that the ceasefire in Gaza, which “offers a vital opportunity for the survival, safety and dignity of children,” must not fail.
“It will take time, but an inclusive future that puts the rights of Gaza’s one million children at the center is possible through peace, action and shared will,” Beigbeder said.
According to UN data, more than 64.000 children have been killed or injured, and over 58.000 have lost a parent since the outbreak of Tel Aviv’s war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.
“One million children have experienced the daily horror of survival in the most dangerous place in the world to be a child, left with scars of fear, loss and pain,” Beigbeder said.
He added that UNICEF is working to save children from “preventable threats like malnutrition, disease and winter cold.”
It is reported that UNICEF has provided education to over 100.000 Palestinian children in Gaza, while work is underway to return all 650.000 school-age children to the learning process.
The Regional director called for the “safe, rapid and unrestricted movement” of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, noting an increase in the amount of aid allowed by UNICEF, which nevertheless remains insufficient for the needs of civilians in Gaza.
He demanded that Israel simultaneously open all border crossings for the entry of humanitarian aid and necessary equipment, allowing aid to pass through all possible supply routes, including those through Egypt, Israel, Jordan and the West Bank.
