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Key Points

The UN has raised urgent alarm about the devastating situation in Gaza City, where children are facing unprecedented suffering. UNICEF's Tess Ingram painted a heartbreaking picture of families fleeing, children dying, and essential services collapsing. The humanitarian crisis continues to escalate, with nearly one million people trapped in increasingly dangerous conditions. International intervention is critically needed to prevent further tragedy and protect innocent lives.

Key Points: UNICEF Warns Gaza City Becoming Deadly Trap for Children

  • UN reveals catastrophic conditions for children in Gaza City
  • Only 44 of 92 nutrition centers remain operational
  • Families repeatedly displaced and facing starvation
  • UNICEF demands immediate international intervention
2 min read

Gaza City has become 'city of fear, flight and funerals': UN official

UN official Tess Ingram reveals devastating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, highlighting children's extreme suffering amid ongoing conflict

"It is a city of fear, flight and funerals - Tess Ingram, UNICEF"

United Nations, Sep 5

Gaza City, the last refuge for families in the northern Gaza Strip, is fast becoming a place where childhood cannot survive, Tess Ingram, UNICEF Communication Manager for the Middle East and North Africa Regional Office, said.

"It is a city of fear, flight and funerals," Ingram told a daily briefing on Thursday at the UN headquarters in New York, via video conferencing from the Gaza Strip.

The world is sounding the alarm about what an intensified military offensive in Gaza City could bring -- a catastrophe for the nearly 1 million people who remain there, she said.

"It would be an unthinkable tragedy, and we must do everything in our power to prevent it," Ingram added.

She said that over nine days, she met families in Gaza City who fled their homes in fear -- already displaced, now displaced again -- arriving with nothing but the clothes on their backs, Xinhua news agency reported.

"I met children who were separated from their parents in that chaos. Mothers whose children have died of starvation. Mothers who fear their children will be next. I've spoken to kids in hospital beds, their small bodies shredded by shrapnel," she added.

According to Ingram, only 44 of the 92 UNICEF-supported outpatient nutrition treatment centres in Gaza City are still functioning, depleting thousands of malnourished children of more than half of the lifelines they depend on to fight famine.

"Our team is doing everything in their power to help children. But we could do far more, reach every child here, if our operations on the ground were enabled at scale and we were well funded," she said.

"Palestinian life is being dismantled here", and the suffering of children in the Gaza Strip is not accidental, Ingram stressed.

"It is the direct consequence of choices that have turned Gaza City and indeed the entire Strip into a place where people's lives are under attack, from every angle, every day."

Ingram said that UNICEF continues to call on Israel to review its rules of engagement to ensure children are protected, as is required under international humanitarian law, and to allow sufficient aid to enter Gaza; on Hamas and other armed groups to release all the remaining hostages; on both parties to protect civilians and essential infrastructure, and to reinstate the ceasefire; and on the international community to use their leverage to end the current catastrophic situation in Gaza.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul R
While the situation is tragic, we must remember that Hamas started this conflict by attacking innocent civilians. Both sides need to come to the negotiating table. India has always advocated for peaceful resolution of conflicts.
S
Sarah B
The statistics about nutrition centers are devastating. Only 44 out of 92 functioning? How are children supposed to survive this? The international community must pressure for humanitarian corridors immediately.
A
Arjun K
India should take a stronger stand in the UN regarding this crisis. We have historical ties with Palestine and the moral responsibility to speak up for innocent civilians caught in crossfire.
M
Meera T
The description of children separated from parents and small bodies shredded by shrapnel made me cry. No child deserves this. Where is humanity? We need immediate ceasefire and proper aid distribution.
D
David E
While the humanitarian situation is concerning, we must acknowledge that Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorist organizations. The solution lies in Hamas releasing hostages and ceasing attacks.
K
Kavya N
This is exactly why India's "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" philosophy is so important. The world is one family, and we cannot ignore the suffering of our fellow human beings. NGOs and governments must work together to provide relief.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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