“People are Hungry, Cold and Traumatised” in Northern Gaza: UN Official

Gaza (Quds News Network)- UNICEF communications specialist Rosalia Bollen has said it is “absolutely appalling” that children continue to be killed by Israeli forces every day in Gaza.

“While attacks are concentrated on the north, families are killed here in the centre and southern parts of Gaza as well,” she told Al Jazeera from Deir al-Balah.

“Beyond that, at least 14,500 children have been reported killed. There are tens of thousands more that are injured and at least a quarter of those are thought to require major rehabilitation, they risk lifelong disability.”

She said she met an eight-year-old girl in northern Gaza a few days ago who has now lost her leg up to the knee after three separate amputations because it kept getting infected due to a lack of medical supplies.

“And as this girl was explaining what had happened to her, she said she saw maggots coming out of her leg. This is something that no child should have to go through. The body of this eight-year-old has been brutalised. All children in Gaza have been traumatised.”

Bollen described the situation in northern Gaza after nearly two months of an Israeli siege as “most dire”.

“Across northern Gaza, including Gaza City, the situation is very difficult for hospitals that lack medical supplies and medicines and doctors, but also for the people who are still there,” she said.

After driving around the area with colleagues last week, Bollen said she saw some market activity in improvised stalls but said very few had any food.

“The little that is available is canned food. The people are hungry, cold and traumatised. A risk of famine alert was issued last month but there haven’t been any supplies entering most northern parts of Gaza, so the situation will further deteriorate for the families there,” she said.

“The children I meet with are all hungry.”