“Just put – We do not have the necessary qualifications in the Gaza Strip for a strong humanitarian response,” UNICEF Chief Executive Catherine Russell said in statement issued following an attack on one of the agency’s vehicles and Israel’s latest evacuation order in Khan Younis.
Children left with ‘permanent scars’
Ms Russell began by highlighting the dire situation in Gaza, where “Every week that passes, families face new horrors”.
She said brutal attacks on schools and shelters for displaced people continued, reportedly killing hundreds of Palestinians and putting further pressure on already overwhelmed hospitals in the area.
“We see children who have suffered previous traumas only to be traumatized again. Doctors and nurses are left without resources, struggling to save lives. Thousands of boys and girls are sick, hungry, injured or separated from their families,” she said.
“Violence and deprivation are leaving permanent scars on their vulnerable bodies and minds. And now, with sanitation and water failing, polio has joined the list of threats, especially for thousands of unvaccinated children.”
Humanitarian situation ‘beyond catastrophic’
Meanwhile, she said, “as families continue to be forced to move to escape the current violence, the humanitarian situation is becoming extremely dire.”
Although UNICEF and other humanitarian agencies are doing everything they can to respond, “the dire situation and attacks on humanitarian workers continue to hamper our efforts.”
On Tuesday, a clearly marked UNICEF vehicle was shot while waiting at a designated stop near the Wadi Gaza checkpoint. It was one of two vehicles that would pick up the five children and reunite them with their father after their mother was killed.
“Fortunately, no one was injured and the group was reunited with their families,” she said. “However, in this incident, like others before it, the humanitarian consequences could have been devastating.”
Safe, unhindered access to aid
Conditions in Gaza do not support a robust humanitarian response and “the flow of aid must be unimpeded and access must be regular and safe,” she said.
For nearly nine months, aid has continued to be delivered, people have been left short of supplies and the commercial sector has been devastated, she said.
The result is increased competition for what little is available, smuggling of goods into Gaza and increasingly organised looting of aid, which “not only hampers our efforts to reach vulnerable families but also endangers our teams and the civilians we are assisting”.
At least 278 aid workers have died.
The situation is exacerbated by operating conditions on the ground, she continued, noting that at least 278 aid workers have died so far – a record number – while others have been threatened or prevented from doing their jobs.
“We need an immediate improved security environment, including security for trucks delivering relief supplies.to allow aid workers safe access to the communities they intend to serve,” said Ms. Russell.
“Most importantly, we need an immediate and lasting ceasefire.”
The head of UNICEF called on all parties to the conflict to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.
“That is It’s long past time for this crisis to end.“to return the hostages to their families and to give children in Gaza a healthy and safe future,” she said.
15 critically ill children to receive emergency care in Spain
Fifteen children from Gaza suffering from complex medical conditions arrived in Spain on Wednesday through an evacuation process involving the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners.
The mother of one of the children will also be treated.
These patients have been hospitalized in Egypt for months, after being evacuated from Gaza. They are just a small fraction of the thousands of people who need intensive medical care outside the enclave.
Care and cooperation
“These very sick children will receive the care they need thanks to a collaboration between a number of partners and countries,” speak Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO.
While expressing gratitude to Egypt and Spain for their support and facilitation, he called on other countries “to have the capacity and the medical facilities to welcome those who, through no fault of their own, are caught up in this war.”
The children ranged in age from three to 17. Thirteen had complex injuries, one had a chronic heart condition and one was living with cancer. They were accompanied by 25 family members and other caregivers.
The young people had been in Egypt since before May 6, when evacuation became nearly impossible when the Rafah crossing was closed. Since then, only 23 people have been evacuated through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Thousands of people are still waiting
WHO noted that about 5,000 people have been evacuated for treatment outside Gaza since last October. The majority, more than 80 percent, are being treated in Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Another 10,000 Gazans still need to be evacuated.
In the current context, 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 from the Gaza Strip should be able to move, preferably to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, but also to Egypt or Jordan and then elsewhere,” she added.
Wednesday’s evacuation was supported through the European Union (EU) Civil Protection Mechanism in partnership with the WHO.
The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund facilitated the documentation of the patients, the Egyptian government supported their care while there, and Spain provided similar support, where the children were treated in various hospitals across the country.
