UPDATE - Not extending humanitarian pause in Gaza would be 'dark stain' on everyone's conscience: UNICEF

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) — Failure to extend the humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip would be a "dark stain on everyone's conscience," a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson said on Tuesday.

James Elder's remarks came in response to a question by Anadolu on what to expect if the current pause in Israeli attacks on Gaza is not extended or turned into a cease-fire.

Elder also stressed that the Israeli attacks and "mass killings" in Gaza cannot be allowed to continue at the intensity of the several weeks following Oct. 7.

Asked about whether the aid entered Gaza during the four-day pause would be enough for civilians as well as facilities if the pause does not continue, he said: "I wouldn't have the knowledge across the different sectors of health and nutrition and water to give a number."

"They're starting from the position of a nightmare," said Elder, pointing to the "perilous position" of children's health in the enclave, as well as the losses that families there have suffered, with many unable to find indoor shelter amid the threat of rain and disease.

"If hostilities continued, if the attacks continued with anything like the ferocity of the first six or seven weeks, you see the mass killing of children and civilians. We've already seen that," he said. "The world, time and again, says 'never again' and then watches it happen again. That would be a dark stain on everyone's conscience, but much more than any language I can share here."

Israeli officials have said that at the end of the humanitarian pause in Gaza, now in its fifth day and set to go on for a sixth, the army would resume its military offensive on the enclave..

Qatar announced an agreement late Monday to extend the initially four-day humanitarian pause for an additional two days, under which further prisoner exchanges will be carried out.

Israel launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

It has since killed over 15,000 people, including 6,150 children and 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.

The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.