UN reports over 13,000 children dead amid Gaza humanitarian crisis

Since the outbreak of conflict in the Gaza Strip, over 13,000 children have perished, the UN Agency for Children's (UNICEF) Chief Catherine Russell reported on Sunday. She highlighted the dire situation faced by children living in the Palestinian area, noting that many are so malnourished they "do not even have the strength to cry."

The Gaza Strip is experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis. Israeli forces are undertaking efforts to dismantle Hamas. “Thousands of children have been injured, and it's unclear where many of them are. They might be trapped under debris,” Catherine Russell stated on the CBS News programme.

“The rate of child fatalities we are witnessing here is unparalleled in nearly any other global conflict. I’ve visited children's hospital wards where severe anemia and malnutrition are rampant, and there’s a pervasive silence because the children, even infants, lack the energy to cry,” the UNICEF Executive Director continued.

Russell also indicated that transporting humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip via lorries comes with “significant bureaucratic obstacles”.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas, the governing force in the Gaza Strip, launched an armed offensive into Israel, targeting military installations, border kibbutzim, and even a group of youngsters at an outdoor music event. Over 1,200 individuals lost their lives, the vast majority of whom were civilians. The attackers also took approximately 240 hostages back to the Gaza Strip.

Israel has vowed to neutralize Hamas completely. Up to now, Israeli military actions have resulted in the deaths of over 31,000 Palestinians, according to the health ministry of the Palestinian semi-enclave controlled by Hamas. A staggering 90 percent of the Gaza Strip's population of over 2 million people have been displaced from their homes. A large portion of the infrastructure in this region has been obliterated.