Tess Ingram, a UNICEF representative who recently returned from a two-week visit to Gaza, described the dire conditions children are experiencing amid destroyed homes and harsh weather.
“Yes, the bullets and the bombs may no longer be threatening their lives after 15 months of fear and horror, but the humanitarian crisis persists, and that crisis is really having a serious impact on children in Gaza more than any other person,” she told Al Jazeera.
Ingram emphasized that the greatest challenge for aid organizations like UNICEF is the overwhelming scale of need.
“Humanitarian aid was restricted for much of the war, so now we are rapidly trying to catch up with many of the needs of the children. But unfortunately, many of those needs are still the most basic needs, like shelter and clothes,” she said.
Gaza’s Health Ministry has confirmed 48,271 Palestinian deaths in Israel’s war on Gaza while 111,693 people have been wounded. The Government Media Office has updated its death toll to at least 61,709 people, saying thousands of Palestinians missing under the rubble are now presumed dead.