UNICEF spokesperson James Elder stated that children are the most affected by the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, and that his organization describes what is happening there as “a war on children.”
Elder emphasized that Gaza is no longer a suitable place for children to live due to the war, as they are being targeted and subjected to immense psychological pressure. He called for an end to the war to spare them further suffering.
The UN official, who has visited Gaza twice since the outbreak of the war on October 7th, said that children are usually the most affected by wars, as they are the most vulnerable group in society. They often constitute about 20% of war casualties, but this figure is approaching 40% in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 10,000 children since the beginning of the war, and the number continues to rise.
He pointed out that about one million children live in the sector in conditions of despair and hunger, and said that Palestinians in Gaza in general live under the weight of war and despair, and that “people are very tired, there are many hungry people, and there is still great fear that the crazy idea of launching a military attack (a ground attack) on the city of Rafah” in the southern sector will be realized.
