UNICEF: No end in sight to deadly threats to children in Gaza

Father and child pass through rubble of buildings in Gaza. Image: UNICEF/UNI448939/Eyad El Baba

UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Edouard Beigbeder has issued the following statement on the desperate conditions suffered by children in Gaza.

He writes: "In the final days of the year, there seems to be no end in sight to the deadly threats to children in Gaza. Over the past three days, at least eleven children have reportedly been killed in attacks. Now, we are also witnessing children dying from the cold and a lack of adequate shelter.

"According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, four newborns and infants have died from hypothermia in recent days. These preventable deaths lay bare the desperate and deteriorating conditions facing families and children across Gaza. With temperatures expected to drop further in the coming days, it is tragically foreseeable that more children's lives will be lost to the inhumane conditions they are enduring, which offer no protection from the cold.

"2024 has been a year of unimaginable hardship for families in Gaza. Beyond the constant threat of attacks, many live without adequate shelter, nutrition, or healthcare. Cold injuries, such as frostbite and hypothermia, pose grave risks to young children in tents and other makeshift shelters that are ill-equipped for freezing weather. For newborns, infants, and medically vulnerable children, the danger is even more acute.

"UNICEF teams on the ground continue to work tirelessly, distributing winter clothing, blankets, and emergency supplies to children. But the ability of humanitarian agencies to deliver life-saving aid at the scale required remains severely restricted. In November, an average of 65 truckloads of assistance entered Gaza daily, far too little to adequately address the urgent needs of children, women and other civilians. The most northern part of Gaza has now been under a near-total siege for more than two months.

"Safe and unrestricted humanitarian access to and within the Gaza Strip to reach affected populations wherever they are, including in the north, is critical. All access crossings must be opened, including for sufficient fuel and materials needed to run and rehabilitate essential infrastructure and commercial supplies. Safe movement for humanitarian workers and supplies across the Gaza Strip must be guaranteed to safely reach the communities in desperate need.

"As we approach a new year, children have the right to a future free from fear and full of promise. This begins with an immediate, durable ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and a renewed commitment to work together to address the urgent needs of children and their families."

CAFOD is a member of the Disasters Emergency Appeal which is struggling to bring aid into Gaza the West Bank and Lebanon. To support the Appeal click HERE.