UNICEF: Gaza is the most dangerous place in the world for children

Geneva (QNN) – UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said today that the Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world for children, adding that day after day, this brutal reality is reinforced.

Speaking at a press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Elder explained, “Over the past 48 hours, the largest remaining fully functioning hospital was shelled, twice.”

“That hospital – Al Nasser in Khan Yunis – not only shelters large numbers of children who had already been badly injured in attacks on their homes, but hundreds of women and children seeking safety.”

Elder said that UNICEF had shared the story of 13-year-old Dina. “When her house in Khan Yunis was completely destroyed, she was injured and later her right leg was amputated. She lost both of her parents and two brothers.”

“But Dina hadn’t lost hope. She told us about her dreams of being a lawyer. She said, ‘I feel injustice; when I grow up, I will become a lawyer so that I can enjoy my rights and the rights of all children,” he continued.

“Dina was one of the people killed at Nasser Hospital on Sunday, the day after she shared her story of hope,” he pointed out, wondering, “And so where do children and their families go? They are not safe in hospitals. They are not safe in shelters. And they are certainly not safe in the so-called ‘safe’ zones.”

Elder said the so-called”safe zones” are tiny areas of barren land, or street corners, or half-built buildings, with no water, no facilities, no shelter from the cold and the rain, and no sanitation.

“And so without water and sanitation, nor shelter, these so-called safe zones have become zones of disease. Diarrhea cases in children are above 100,000,” he pointed out.

“Acute respiratory illness cases in civilians are above 150,000. Both numbers will be gross undercounts of the woeful reality,” Elder added.

“Without sufficient safe water, food and sanitation that only a humanitarian ceasefire can bring – child deaths due to disease could surpass those killed in bombardments,” said the UNICEF spokesperson.

“Parents are painfully aware that hospitals are not an option for their sick child – both because hospitals are getting hit, and because hospitals are overwhelmed with children and citizens with the ghastly wounds of war.”