“Hell on earth” for the one million children living there, Unicef has described the Gaza Strip as nearly 40 children dying every day for a year.
More than a year after the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, “children continue to suffer indescribably every day,” said James Elder, spokesman for the United Nations Children’s Fund, at a press conference in Geneva. “Gaza is the true embodiment of hell on earth for its million children. The situation worsens day by day as we witness the horrific effects of airstrikes and military operations,” he noted.
“If this level of horror doesn’t awaken our humanity and spur us to action, then what will?” he wondered.
35 to 40 girls and boys are killed every day
Following Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the war, “conservative” estimates say that more than 14,100 children were killed in Gaza. This means that “around 35 to 40 girls and boys are killed every day in Gaza after October 7th”, Elder added, stressing that many victims remain buried under the rubble.
They are not safe anywhere
As for the survivors, they have nowhere to go to be safe. “Where could the children and their families go? They are not safe in schools and shelters. They are not safe in hospitals. And they are certainly not safe in overcrowded camps,” Elder said.
The representative described what life is like for a child in Gaza, giving the example of a 7-year-old girl, Qamar, who was shot in the leg during an attack on the Jabalia camp. The only hospital she could be transferred to, a maternity ward, was under siege for 20 days. As she was unable to move and the hospital did not have the means to treat the infection in her leg, doctors amputated it. Qamar, his mother and his sister, who was also injured, were then forced to flee south on foot.
“Today they live in a destroyed tent, with stagnant water everywhere”.
Last October, Unicef reported that Gaza had become a “cemetery for thousands of children”. Two months later, he described the enclave as “the most dangerous area in the world for children”.