UNITED NATIONS: More than 340 children have been reportedly killed and hundreds more injured in Gaza since a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was announced, the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) said on Friday, warning that children continue to face grave risks despite the truce.
“For families mourning the loss of their children, those terrible statistics do not equate with a ceasefire,” Unicef spokesperson Ricardo Pires told reporters in Geneva.
The Unicef noted that five boys and two girls had been reported killed in Gaza over the preceding two weeks, while at least 33 children were seriously injured in air strikes, drone strikes and gunfire across the territory. Two other boys died from injuries sustained earlier, Pires said.
Around 800,000 children remain displaced, most living in tents or damaged buildings, while an estimated 60,000 have lost one or both parents during the war or since the ceasefire, according to the Unicef.
Nearly every child needs some form of mental health support to recover from the effects of the conflict.
The agency called on the parties to the conflict to uphold the ceasefire, comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2803 and meet their obligations under international humanitarian law.
“Above all, we need to listen to the voices of children in Gaza,” the Unicef said, stressing that recovery meant more than survival. Children needed to return to school, spend time with friends and family, have dignified shelter, play safely and receive healthcare, the agency said.
“Gaza’s children have suffered far too much, for far too long,” it added.
The agency stressed the need to maintain an uninterrupted flow of humanitarian and commercial supplies into Gaza, following reports that private traders had halted cooperation with Israeli authorities over the entry of commercial trucks carrying food.
Pires recalled that supplies had been unable to enter Gaza before the ceasefire, when famine was declared by UN-backed food security experts.
“We can’t go back to a situation where children and families are not getting all the supplies, goods and services that they require,” he said.
Despite the continuing hardship, Unicef has helped more than 560,000 children return to learning since the ceasefire, including through more than 200 learning centres it supports.
The agency has also provided digital cash assistance to more than 380,000 people and safe water to 1.2 million people.