UNICEF decries 'normalization of horror' amid Lebanon conflict
UNICEF warns of the "silent normalization of horror" in Lebanon, where over two months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah have resulted in the deaths of more than 200 children and injuries to over 1,100, a UNICEF spokesperson, James Elder, reported during a press conference in Geneva.
James Elder spoke about how the unacceptable is starting to become acceptable. The UNICEF spokesperson also emphasised hope that such a massacre of children, as seen in the Gaza Strip, will never happen again.
We now see terrifying similarities between the situations in Gaza and Lebanon, noted the UNICEF spokesperson.
The organisation does not point to any one side as responsible for the deaths of Lebanese children. However, as Elder noted, "anyone following the media should have a clear idea of how these children died, where the rockets were fired from, where the children were located, where they were fleeing... just like in Gaza."
The conflict escalated almost two months ago when Israel began massive airstrikes on Lebanon, followed by a ground operation in the southern part of the country, declared with the aim of eliminating the threat from Hezbollah. The Shiite group, recognised by the West as a terrorist organisation, has been regularly shelling Israel since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip, which has been met with strong counterattacks.
According to the Ministry of Health in Beirut, after more than a year of mutual attacks, the death toll in Lebanon has exceeded 3,500 people, most of whom have died in the last two months. It is estimated that about 1.2 million people have fled their homes. Lebanese media and authorities report that some of the victims are civilians.
Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian Authority, in the ongoing war of over a year led by Israel against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, nearly 44,000 people have died. The Hamas-controlled authority emphasises that most of the victims are civilians, especially women and children. The UN analysed data concerning over 8,000 killed in Gaza during the first six months of the war and confirmed that 44 percent of them were children, and 26 percent were women.
