Lives of children in Palestine, Lebanon ‘torn apart in unimaginable ways’: UNICEF chief

By Ahmet Furkan Mercan

The lives of children in Palestine and Lebanon are “torn apart in unimaginable ways,” the executive director of UNICEF said on Saturday.

“Tens of thousands of children have died. Thousands more are in captivity, displaced, orphaned, out of school, and suffer trauma from violence and war,” Catherine Russell said in a statement.

She said that all parties are obligated to protect civilians, including children, humanitarian workers and civilian infrastructure, including schools and health facilities.

“Parties must allow unfettered access to life-saving aid. These obligations are flagrantly disregarded,” Russell added.

Calling the deaths and suffering of children “shameful,” she said: “The daily bloodshed and horror for children are an affront to the most fundamental values of humanity. The violence against children, the most vulnerable among us, must end.”

Despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire, Israel has continued a brutal offensive on Gaza following a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.

Nearly 42,200 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 98,300 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.