‘Sentence to Slow Death’ – UNICEF Deplores Horrors Inflicted on Children in Gaza
UNICEF spokesperson Salim Oweis said that the raging war in Gaza is inflicting horrors on children depriving them of sleep, safety, and any chance of a normal childhood due to the severe mental and emotional impact of the raging war.
The communication officer for UNICEF in the Middle East and North Africa told a press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva after a visit to Gaza that he was in deep disbelief at what he witnessed.
“I was shocked by the depth of suffering, destruction and widespread displacement in Gaza. The footage the world sees on television gives an important peek into the living hell people are enduring for over 10 months. What it does not fully show is how behind the crumbled buildings – whole neighborhoods, livelihoods and dreams have been leveled to the ground,” Oweis said.
The spokesperson told the audience – following visits to Deir al-Balah, Khan Yunis and the north of Gaza – that scenes looked almost like a set from a disaster film but with real-life devastating consequences.
Oweis spoke at length of the devastating effects of the separation of children from their families highlighting the case of a little boy named Yahya who was born prematurely at Kamal Adwan Hospital in the north of Gaza on 27 November of last year.
Yahya’s Story
Yahya was transferred to Sifaa Hospital for neo-natal medical care before he was evacuated after an Israeli military operation around the hospital to Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the middle of Gaza. His parents were forced to stay behind in the north.
“Once well, Yahya was eventually placed into temporary care and kept safe with the support of UNICEF and partners, who managed to stay in touch with his family. Finally, the time came to reunite him with his mother and father, who had to endure months of uncertainty and fear before being able to hold him in their hands,” Oweis said.
According to the spokesperson, the successful mission included seven children from four families following three failed previous attempts due to the extreme danger of such operations and access denial by Israel’s occupation forces. “One lost child, like Yahya, is really the story of thousands,” he added.
The UNICEF official emphasized that there is no safe place in Gaza and everything from food, water, fuel, medicine and all other necessities are scarce, affecting families and children particularly. “The life of a child in Gaza, in month ten of this conflict, is not a life,” he said
Oweis emphasized that the children in Gaza live in exhaustion and fear due to the disastrous conditions of the relentless war. He pointed out that children are deprived of sleep, safety, and opportunities to learn and play.
“When you walk through the mazes of makeshift shelters, you struggle to climb the sand they lay on and you smell the strong odor of sewage filling the paths around. You are struck by the many children hovering around asking one question: “Mr. When will the war end?” he said.
Oweis also spoke of the severe lack of hygiene supplies leading to serious skin diseases. “Families urgently asked me for soap and hygiene supplies. They are using water and salt to clean their children or boiling water with lemons to try and treat skin rashes,” he added.
He stressed that a child with a disease in Gaza “has been handed a sentence to a slow death because he cannot receive the treatment he needs, and he is unlikely to survive long enough to make it out,” emphasizing that their only hope of survival is a ceasefire.
(PC, Anadolu)