Juliet Jacob Ochenje
The Executive Director of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Catherine Russell, has disclosed that more than 4,600 children have died, and about 9,000 others injured in the Gaza war.
This was contained in a statement published by UNICEF on Wednesday.
According to Russell, many children are missing and believed to be buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings and homes, the tragic result of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.
She also said newborn babies who require specialised care have died in one of Gaza’s hospitals as power and medical supplies run out, and violence continues with indiscriminate effect.
“At the Al Naser hospital in Khan Yunis, I met with patients and displaced families seeking shelter and safety. A 16-year-old girl told me from her hospital bed that her neighborhood had been bombed. She survived but doctors say she will never be able to walk again.
“In the hospital’s neonatal ward, tiny babies were clinging to life in incubators, as doctors worried how they could keep the machines running without fuel.
“During my time in Gaza, I also met with UNICEF staff who are continuing to deliver for children amidst the danger and devastation. They shared their own heartbreaking stories with me of the impact of the war on their children, of family members killed, and of how they have been displaced many times over.
“Many people, including our staff and their families, are now living in overcrowded shelters with very little water, food or decent sanitation conditions which could lead to disease outbreaks.”
