Ramallah, Jan 9. - The Israeli army killed 74 Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip in the first week of 2025, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced today.
The children lost their lives in several attacks, including night raids against the cities of Gaza and Khan Younis, in addition to the area of ??Al-Mawasi, supposedly a safe area for refugees, the organization highlighted in a statement.
For children in that territory, the new year only brought more death and suffering due to attacks, deprivation and cold, said Unicef ??executive director Catherine Russell, quoted by the text.
The statement warned that "the continued lack of basic shelter, combined with winter temperatures, represents serious threats" for that sector of the population.
In this regard, it highlighted that more than a million of them currently live in improvised tents, after 15 months of war.
Since December 26, eight babies and newborns have died of hypothermia in the Strip, she lamented.
She also stated that the aid entering the coastal enclave is “regrettably insufficient to meet the most basic needs of families.”
The delivery of aid and supplies is a matter of life or death for children in Gaza, she said.
Civil order has largely collapsed due to the looting of humanitarian goods, while the few remaining operational hospitals are overwhelmed, she stressed.
In this regard, she criticized the destruction of civilian infrastructure, noting that “it left families without essential supplies, including food, drinking water, sanitation and access to medical care.”
The organization appealed to the parties in conflict to respect their obligations under international law, which include ending attacks against civilians and humanitarian workers. (Text and photo: PL)