On Thursday, UNICEF said that humanitarian operations, on which the survival of the entire population of the Gaza Strip depends, are now threatened by escalating attacks by the Israeli armed forces.
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Civilians, already exhausted, malnourished and victims of countless traumas, are now at greater risk of being killed, injured or displaced within their ruined communities, Adele Khodr, regional director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for the Middle East and North Africa, criticized in a statement.
According to her, the offensive on the southern city of Rafah and other areas of the coastal enclave further worsened the suffering of hundreds of thousands of children, who have been plunged into a nightmare since 7 October.
"We cannot accept their fate as collateral victims of this conflict that they did not choose at all," he warned.
Khodr criticized the army's operations in Rafah, in the cities of Gaza and Beit Lahiya, and in the Jabalia refugee camp.
“Since the start of this new escalation last week, the difficulties encountered by UNICEF in delivering aid to the enclave have become even more acute,“she warned.
She noted that major hospitals in the north, including Kamal Adwan, Al Awda and Indonesian, are caught in the crossfire.
Meanwhile, people on the brink of starvation are now deprived of all aid, he lamented.
It is imperative that the borders are opened without delay and that humanitarian organizations can move safely to provide the vital assistance on which all Gaza's children depend, he demanded.
Otherwise, he said, the tragedy we are witnessing will be even more appalling, an outcome we must avoid.
"It is imperative to silence the guns and respect the rights of children in Gaza, victims of unimaginable atrocities, they deserve an immediate ceasefire and a chance to live in peace," the UNICEF chief said.