“Just put – We do not have the necessary conditions “A robust humanitarian response is needed in the Gaza Strip,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement following an attack on one of the agency’s vehicles and the latest Israeli evacuation order in Khan Younis.
Children suffer 'permanent scars'
Ms Russell began by highlighting the dire conditions in Gaza, where “Every week that passes, families face new horrors”.
He said devastating attacks on schools and sites housing displaced people continue, reportedly killing hundreds more Palestinians and further straining the enclave's already overstretched hospitals.
“We see children who have suffered previous injuries and are now injured again. Doctors and nurses without resources struggling to save lives. Thousands of children who are sick, hungry, injured or separated from their families,” he said.
“Violence and deprivation are leaving permanent scars on their vulnerable bodies and minds. And now, with sanitation and wastewater treatment services deteriorating, the polio virus is added to the list of threats, especially for the thousands of children who are not vaccinated.”
The humanitarian situation is “more than catastrophic”
Meanwhile, “as families are repeatedly forced to move to escape the immediate violence, the humanitarian situation is beyond catastrophic,” he said.
Although UNICEF and other humanitarian agencies are doing their best to respond, “the dire situation and attacks on humanitarian personnel continue to hamper our efforts.”
On Tuesday, a clearly marked UNICEF vehicle was hit by bullets as it waited at a designated holding point near the Wadi Gaza checkpoint. It was one of two vehicles that were to pick up five young children and reunite them with their father after their mother was killed.
“Fortunately, no one was injured and the team managed to reunite the family,” he said. “However, in this incident, as in previous ones, the humanitarian consequences could have been dire.”
Safe and unhindered access to help
Stating that conditions in Gaza do not allow for a robust humanitarian response, he said “the flow of aid must be unhindered and access must be regular and safe.”
For nearly nine months, aid has trickled in, civilians have been deprived of supplies and the commercial sector has been decimated, he said.
The result has been increased competition for what little is available, the smuggling of goods into Gaza and the increasingly organised looting of aid supplies, which “not only impedes our efforts to reach vulnerable families, but puts our teams and the civilians we support at risk”.
At least 278 aid workers killed
The situation is exacerbated by operational conditions on the ground, he continued, noting that at least 278 humanitarian workers have already been killed to date – a record number – while others are in danger or prevented from carrying out their work.
“We need an improved security environment immediately, including security for aid delivery trucks.to enable humanitarian workers to safely reach the communities they aim to serve,” Ms Russell said.
“The most important thing is that we need an immediate and sustainable ceasefire.”
The UNICEF chief called on all parties to the conflict to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.
“Is It's time for this crisis to end“So that the hostages can be returned to their families and that the children of Gaza can have a healthy and safe future,” he said.
Fifteen seriously ill children will receive urgent care in Spain
Fifteen children from Gaza with complicated medical conditions arrived in Spain on Wednesday through an evacuation process involving the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners.
The mother of one of the children will also receive treatment.
The patients had been hospitalized in Egypt for the past few months after being evacuated from Gaza. They represent just a small part of the thousands of people who need access to special medical care outside the enclave.
Care and cooperation
“These very sick children will receive the care they need thanks to cooperation between multiple partners and countries,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO.
While expressing his gratitude to Egypt and Spain for their support and facilitation, he urged other countries “that have the capacity and medical facilities to welcome people who, through no fault of their own, are caught in the grip of this war.”
The children range in age from 3 to 17. Thirteen have complex injuries, one has chronic heart disease and one has cancer. They are accompanied by 25 family members and other caregivers.
The young people had been in Egypt since before 6 May, when evacuations became virtually impossible due to the closure of the Rafah border crossing. Since then, only 23 people have been evacuated through the Kerem Shalom border crossing.
Thousands of people are still waiting
The WHO said that some 5,000 people have been evacuated for treatment outside Gaza since last October. The majority, more than 80%, are receiving care in Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Another 10,000 Gazans still need to be evacuated.
Given the situation, children “are just the tip of the iceberg,” said Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.
“Patients who need to be evacuated out of the Gaza Strip must be able to leave, preferably to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, but also to Egypt or Jordan and then beyond,” he added.
Wednesday's evacuation was supported by the European Union (EU) Civil Protection Mechanism in collaboration with the WHO.
The Palestine Children's Aid Fund facilitated the documentation of the patients, the Government of Egypt supported their care while they were there, and Spain is providing similar support as the children will be treated in several hospitals across the country.
