A Generation of Children Lost in Gaza’s Unending War !

A Generation of Children Lost in Gaza‘s Unending War !

Urgent Plea for Peace: The Dire Straits of Israeli and Palestinian Youth

MOHAN KHOUND

In a stark warning issued last Thursday, UNICEF has highlighted the devastating impact of the ongoing Gaza conflict on children.

Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action, called for an immediate end to hostilities and a political resolution that prioritizes the welfare of both Israeli and Palestinian children. His statements came during a briefing at the UN Headquarters in New York, following his visit to Israel and Palestine.

Chaiban underscored the urgent need for a ceasefire, emphasizing that the current situation is leading to a ‘lost generation’ of children who have been deprived of education and subjected to severe trauma.

He relayed the harrowing experiences of Israeli children and families affected by the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups. “They asked me to be the voice of all children to relay their suffering,” said Chaiban. UNICEF has committed to working with relevant ministries in Israel to provide support for these children.

Additionally, Chaiban has urged Israeli authorities to facilitate increased access for aid and essential goods, particularly fresh food and nutrition supplies. In Gaza and the West Bank, the situation is equally dire. Chaiban described meeting a baby at Kamal Adwan Hospital in north Gaza, who had been wounded by shrapnel. “The baby is a striking reminder of the thousands and thousands of children who have been killed and injured in the Gaza Strip in the past 11 months,” he said.

The hospital is the only remaining pediatric unit in the area, and many children suffering from cancer and other deadly diseases are in urgent need of evacuation for treatment.

Chaiban also painted a grim picture of the living conditions in Gaza, where families are forced to reside in overcrowded shelters with inadequate sanitation. “I visited a school, which was turned into a shelter. There in the middle of the school court, people had dug a makeshift open sewer to evacuate wastewater – people and children are literally living in that wastewater,” he reported. The unsanitary conditions are a breeding ground for disease, further endangering the lives of children.

The delivery of aid to Gaza has seen a significant decline, plummeting from an average of up to 100 trucks a day in January to just 15 in September. Factors contributing to this reduction include concerns over law and order, limitations on the fence road, and insufficient entry points.

Chaiban stressed the necessity of a ceasefire to protect children’s lives, enable the delivery of critical aid, and secure the unconditional release of all hostages, especially the two children. “In the absence of a ceasefire, we need the kind of pauses that allowed for the polio campaign,” he said. He also called for enhanced security for humanitarian staff, standardized checkpoint procedures, and improved telecom capacity in Gaza, including Internet access.

“The continued destruction of Gaza and the escalating violence in the West Bank will not bring peace or safety to the region – that can only be achieved with a negotiated political solution, one that prioritizes the rights and well-being of this and future generations of Israeli and Palestinian children,” Chaiban concluded.

Earlier in Geneva, top independent human rights experts expressed their deep concern over the high number of children killed in Gaza and the detrimental impact on Palestinian youths detained by Israel. Following a scheduled review of Israel, the Committee on the Rights of the Child condemned the loss of life and suffering of children in Gaza due to “indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks” by Israeli forces.

According to Palestinian authorities, more than 11,300 children have been killed since the Israeli bombardment began on October 7 in response to Hamas-led terror attacks. The child rights panel also voiced their alarm over the “continued abduction, arbitrary arrest, and prolonged detention of large numbers of Palestinian children by Israeli forces, mostly without charge, trial or legal representation.”

In a broader context, UN independent rights experts condemned the “malicious manipulation” of thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies to explode simultaneously across Lebanon and Syria, describing these attacks as “terrifying” violations of international law. The attacks reportedly killed at least 32 people and maimed or injured 3,250, including 200 critically. Among the dead were medical personnel, a boy, and a girl.

“These attacks violate the human right to life, absent any indication that the victims posed an imminent lethal threat to anyone else at the time,” the experts said, calling for a prompt, independent investigation to establish the truth and ensure accountability.

The experts highlighted that international humanitarian law prohibits the use of booby-traps disguised as seemingly harmless objects. They emphasized that simultaneous attacks by thousands of devices inevitably violate humanitarian law by failing to verify each target and distinguish between protected civilians and those engaged in hostilities.

As the conflict rages on, the urgent calls from UNICEF and human rights experts underscore the dire need for international intervention to safeguard the lives and futures of children caught in the crossfire.

22-09-2024

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