Kuwait city: Conditions in Gaza Strip have reached an unspeakable level of devastation with children paying the highest price, top UN officials said in briefings to the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
According to Kuwait News Agency, Tom Fletcher, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, and Catherine Russell, the Executive Director of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), warned of soaring child deaths, starvation, and a shattered health system amid continuing bombardment and displacement. Fletcher emphasized the lack of "vocabulary" to describe the dire conditions, highlighting the severe shortage of food, which leaves people at risk of being shot while seeking sustenance. He painted a grim picture of field hospitals overwhelmed with dead bodies and stories of suffering from the injured.
Starvation rates among children have reached alarming levels, with over 5,800 diagnosed as acutely malnourished in June alone. Fletcher recounted a tragic incident where children and women were killed in a strike while waiting for food supplements. The health system in Gaza is described as "shattered," with only a fraction of hospitals and health centers partially operational. The shortages are so severe that five babies are forced to share a single incubator, and essential medicines and medical equipment are largely unavailable.
Russell added that an average of 28 children are killed daily in Gaza, likening this to "the equivalent of an entire classroom." Over the past 21 months, more than 17,000 children have been killed and 33,000 injured, many while waiting for humanitarian aid. She stressed the vulnerability of children who, despite being non-political actors, bear the brunt of the conflict. With the scarcity of clean water, children resort to drinking contaminated water, raising the risk of disease outbreaks.
The statements from Fletcher and Russell underscore the urgent need for international intervention to alleviate the suffering of children and civilians in Gaza, who are caught in the crossfire of ongoing conflict.