GENEVA: The Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child. And day after day, that brutal reality is reinforced,’ today said UNICEF spokesperson James Elder during a press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

‘Over the past 48 hours, the largest remaining fully functioning hospital was shelled, twice. That hospital – Al Nasser in Khan Yunis – not only shelters large numbers of children who had already been badly injured in attacks on their homes, but hundreds of women and children seeking safety,’ he said.

Elder said that UNICEF had shared the story of 13-year-old Dina. ‘When her house in Khan Yunis was completely destroyed, she was injured and later her right leg was amputated. She lost both of her parents and two brothers. But Dina hadn’t lost hope. She told us about her dreams of being a lawyer. She said, ‘I feel injustice; when I grow up, I will become a lawyer so that I can enjoy my rights and the rights of all children’.

‘Dina was one of the people killed at Nasser Hospit
al on Sunday, the day after she shared her story of hope,’ he said, wondering, ‘And so where do children and their families go? They are not safe in hospitals. They are not safe in shelters. And they are certainly not safe in the so-called ‘safe’ zones.’

Elder explained that the ‘safe zones’ are tiny patches of barren land, or street corners, or half-built buildings, with no water, no facilities, no shelter from the cold and the rain, and no sanitation.

‘And so without water and sanitation, nor shelter, these so-called safe zones have become zones of disease. Diarrhea cases in children are above 100,000. Acute respiratory illness cases in civilians are above 150,000. Both numbers will be gross undercounts of the woeful reality,’ he said.

‘Without sufficient safe water, food and sanitation that only a humanitarian ceasefire can bring – child deaths due to disease could surpass those killed in bombardments,’ said the UNICEF spokesperson.

‘Parents are painfully aware that hospitals are not an option for thei
r sick child – both because hospitals are getting hit, and because hospitals are overwhelmed with children and citizens with the ghastly wounds of war,’ he said.

‘As we speak, the delivery of aid is a matter of life or death for children in Gaza and the conditions to provide that aid are not being met. An immediate and long-lasting humanitarian ceasefire is the only way to end the killing and injuring of children, and child deaths from disease, and enable the urgent delivery of desperately needed lifesaving aid,’ stressed the UNICEF spokesperson.
Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA

NEW YORK: UN’s Special Envoy for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, said addressing the UN Security Council’s continuing sessions on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, that 2023 ends as one of the deadliest in the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, with the situation deteriorating on nearly all fronts.

He also drew attention to the dire humanitarian situation across the Gaza Strip. ‘The delivery of humanitarian aid in the Strip continues to face nearly insurmountable challenges.’ Adding that amid displacement on an unimaginable scale and active hostilities, the humanitarian response system is on the brink.

He also condemned the killing of civilians in Gaza, including women and children, and expressed his sadness at the loss of every single civilian, including 131 UN personnel who were killed in the Israeli aggression on Gaza.

Wennesland further voiced ‘deep concerns’ over escalating tensions in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

He al
so expressed alarm at the lethal attacks carried out by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Israel.

‘All perpetrators of violence must be held accountable and swiftly brought to justice,’ he said.

The UN Special Coordinator said he was appalled at the numerous instances of officials glorifying violence and encouraging the killing of civilians.

Wennesland said the ‘relentless expansion’ of Israeli settlements in the Occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, threatens the viability of a future independent Palestinian State.

He reiterated that Israeli settlements are a flagrant violation of United Nations resolutions and international law, calling on the Israeli government to stop these activities immediately.

The United Nations remains committed to supporting Palestinians and Israelis in ending the occupation and resolving the conflict in line with international law, relevant United Nations resolutions and bilateral agreements in pursuit of a two-State solution, he said.
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ource: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA