NEW YORK – The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has issued a stark warning about the escalating child deaths crisis in Gaza, calling for immediate action to increase humanitarian aid deliveries. UNICEF’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Adele Khodr, emphasized the urgent need to address the dire situation in the besieged enclave.
Recent reports indicate that over 30,000 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, have lost their lives in Gaza amid ongoing conflict. The Palestinian Health Ministry has reported that more than 100 civilians were shot by the Israeli army while attempting to seek aid. Khodr described the numerous child deaths in Gaza as man-made, predictable, and completely preventable.
The scarcity of nutritious food, safe water, and medical services due to obstacles to aid access is severely impacting children and mothers in Gaza, hindering their ability to provide essential care, especially in the Northern Gaza Strip. Khodr stressed that the situation is dire, with many individuals experiencing hunger, exhaustion, and trauma.
The Biden administration has been increasing pressure on the Israeli government to facilitate humanitarian aid, deploying an airdrop campaign to deliver assistance to Gaza. Vice President Kamala Harris has urged Israel to ramp up aid deliveries in the face of what she termed a “humanitarian catastrophe” with no room for excuses.
Khodr highlighted that the crisis is most severe in northern Gaza, where ongoing conflict has made aid provision more challenging. A study conducted in January revealed that approximately 16% of children in the region exhibited signs of malnutrition. UNICEF had been warning since October about the potential rise in child deaths if the humanitarian crisis worsened and remained unresolved.
President Joe Biden’s endorsement of a six-week ceasefire to facilitate critical aid flow into Gaza has been met with some progress, as the Israeli government consented to the proposed framework for the ceasefire. Vice President Harris is scheduled to meet with Israeli cabinet minister Benny Gantz to further discuss the ceasefire deal and ways to enhance humanitarian aid efforts.
The escalating child deaths crisis in Gaza underscores the urgent need for immediate action to address the humanitarian emergency and protect the lives of vulnerable children and families in the region. The international community, led by organizations like UNICEF, must continue to advocate for increased aid access and support to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian population in Gaza.