UNICEF on Tuesday pressed calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and access to humanitarian aid for the population in the Gaza Strip, where the humanitarian crisis has reached “alarming proportions” six months after the war began.
In a statement issued to newsrooms, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recalls that the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip has reached “alarming proportions” over the past six months, which is why it is trying to support children. and families, despite unprecedented challenges.
Since October 7, 2023, more than 32,000 people, including 13,000 children, have been killed and more than 74,000 injured in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, according to UNICEF. Some 1.7 million people – almost 80% of the Gaza Strip’s population – have been displaced, 850,000 of them children.
To date, the UN agency estimates that 155 health facilities have been damaged, corresponding to 84% of health facilities in the Gaza Strip. In addition, he said, 171 employees of various UN agencies were killed.
“At this critical moment, UNICEF calls for the immediate and durable implementation of a humanitarian ceasefire that guarantees unhindered access to humanitarian assistance and the immediate, safe and unconditional release of all abducted children,” the UN agency said.
The organization also calls for “an end to serious abuses against all children, including killing and maiming, to provide a safe and secure environment for their development,” and urgent provision of essential health services and medical care for injured or sick children, including emergency medical care. evacuation if necessary.
UNICEF also calls for “respect and protection of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools, which should be safe places for children and their families during armed conflicts.”
“There is an urgent need to secure the necessary funding to continue providing life-saving assistance to children and families affected by the conflict. We call on everyone’s generosity to help provide clean water, food, health care, education and protection to children facing extreme vulnerability,” he said. insists.
According to UNICEF, food insecurity has worsened due to persistent disruptions in distribution chains and infrastructure destruction, and according to the Integrated Food Security Classification System (IPC), about 1.1 million people are at immediate risk of facing hunger, especially in the north Gaza Strip.
Lack of access to drinking water affects 81% of households, with average water availability of three liters of water per person per day, well below the minimum standard of 15 liters, increasing the risk of infectious diseases and serious health problems, especially among children. .
“Education was impacted by the destruction of 78% (386) of schools in the Gaza Strip, affecting 625,000 students. Despite attacks, fuel shortages and communications blackouts, UNICEF remains on the ground delivering aid. To date, we have assisted more than a million people with 594 trucks and 43 charter flights entering the Gaza Strip,” the UN agency said in a statement.
Summing up the activities carried out in the Gaza Strip, UNICEF reports the distribution of nutritional supplements to 36,866 children and 21,000 pregnant women, as well as providing drinking water to more than 1.6 million people and improving sanitation conditions. and hygiene services for a further 495,187 people, including 4,400 packages of baby nappies in the last two weeks alone.
On the other hand, it provided medical care to 609,785 people, delivered 50 incubators and more than a million doses of vaccines, provided psychosocial support, emergency education and recreational activities to 164,000 students and teachers, and emergency care and child protection services to 151,802 children and educators, distributed winter clothes to 160,205 children and provided humanitarian financial support to 555,331 people (83,890 families).
“Since the beginning of the conflict, UNICEF has strengthened its teams on the ground from 92 to 126 people. We are currently prepared to immediately increase the number of trucks available per day from four to 30 if there are improvements to access conditions or improved access conditions. ceasefire,” UNICEF concludes.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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