Unicef ​​- Middle East Monitor

The head of the UN Children's Fund Unicef ​​on Friday alarm on the deteriorating conditions for children in the Gaza Strip, Anadolu reports.

“Children in the Gaza Strip have been relentlessly bombed in the Gaza strip, while they have been withdrawn essential goods, services and life -saving care. With every day of the auxiliary blockade, she confronts the growing risk of hunger, illness and death – nothing can justify this,” said Unicef ​​Managing Director Catherine Russell in one statement.

Russell raised the serious challenges that families face, with destroyed farmland, limited access to the sea and critical lack of food and water.

“Bakeries close, water production drops and the market shelves are almost bald. Humanitarian aid has provided the only lifeline for children, and now it is shortly before leaving,” she said.

According to the UN agency, over 75% of households in Gaza have reported declining access to water.

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“You don't have enough water to drink you, you cannot wash your hands if necessary and often forced to choose between showers, clean and cook,” said Russell.

The UN agency warned of a rapid spread of diseases and increasing malnutrition, especially in children under the age of five.

“Vaccines run out quickly and diseases spread in particular acute aqueous diarrhea, which is now in Gaza Strip 1 in all 4 cases of diseases. Most of these cases belong to children under the age of five, for whom it is life threatening,” she said.

“Puriary is also increasing. Since the beginning of the year, more than 9,000 children have been added to the treatment of acute malnutrition since the beginning of the year,” added Russell.

The UNICEF boss repeated the demand for the abolition of the Israeli auxiliary blockade and for the restored humanitarian access.

“We repeat our call to raise the auxiliary blockade for the entry of trading goods in Gaza, for the publication of the hostages and the protection of all children,” she said.

Israel has closed the Gaza intersections since March 2 and, despite several reports on famine in the war zone, closed it from the essential supplies in the enclave.

The Israeli army renewed its attack on Gaza on March 18 and shook a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreements on January 19 with the Palestinian resistance group Hamas. Since October 2023, it has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians in the enclave in the enclave.

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