UNICEF reports at least 100 children killed in Gaza since October’s ceasefire, with deaths continuing from airstrikes and shelling amid blocked aid.
GENEVA: At least 100 children have been killed in Gaza since a tenuous ceasefire began three months ago, the United Nations said.
UNICEF spokesman James Elder told reporters the children died from Israeli airstrikes, drone strikes, tank shelling and live ammunition.
“That’s roughly a girl or a boy killed here every day during a ceasefire,” Elder said from Gaza City.
He stressed the true number of child fatalities is likely higher than the confirmed 100.
Gaza’s health ministry has reported an even higher figure of 165 children killed during the same period.
Ministry official Zaher Al-Wahidi said seven more children had died from exposure to cold since the start of the year.
Elder said the ongoing attacks compound more than two years of war that has left life for Gaza’s children “unimaginably hard”.
He warned that untreated psychological damage is becoming deeper and harder to heal.
The spokesman also condemned Israel’s suspension of 37 international aid agencies from accessing Gaza.
“Blocking international NGOs, blocking any humanitarian aid… that means blocking life-saving assistance,” Elder stressed.
He said that while UNICEF had increased aid, it still does not meet the immense need on the ground.
Elder questioned if restricting NGOs and journalists aimed to limit scrutiny of children’s suffering.
Nearly 80% of buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged during the conflict, according to UN data.
