UNICEF reports Gaza children killed and injured despite ceasefire
UNICEF says seven children were reported killed in Gaza in two weeks despite a ceasefire, with 800,000 displaced and 60,000 estimated to have lost a parent.
The story in focus
UNICEF said seven children were reported killed and at least 33 seriously injured in Gaza in the two weeks before its 16 October briefing, despite an agreed ceasefire, and that more than 340 children have been reported killed in the year since the truce was announced.
- Seven children were reported killed and at least 33 seriously injured across the Gaza Strip in the two weeks before the briefing, according to UNICEF.
- UNICEF estimates about 800,000 children remain displaced and that 60,000 have lost one or both parents during the war or since the ceasefire.
- All six wastewater treatment plants remain out of service, and UNICEF says equipment needed to drain a half-full stormwater basin has not been allowed into Gaza.
Casualties under a ceasefire
In a 16 October press briefing in Geneva, UNICEF Global Deputy Spokesperson Ricardo Pires said five boys and two girls were reported killed and at least 33 children seriously injured in air strikes, drone strikes and gunfire during the previous two weeks in Gaza. Two more boys died of injuries sustained earlier, he said.
Pires said that more than a year after a ceasefire was announced, more than 340 children have been reported killed and hundreds of others injured. A new UNICEF report, released the same day, documents the toll on children, he said.
Displacement and loss
UNICEF estimates 800,000 children are still displaced, most living in tents or damaged buildings, and that about 60,000 children have had one or both parents killed during the war or since the ceasefire. It says nearly every child needs some form of mental health support.
Pires described 16-year-old Norhan, whose mother was shot while eight months pregnant and died the day after giving birth. Norhan now cares for her one-year-old sister while three siblings attend a UNICEF-supported learning centre. UNICEF says more than 560,000 children have returned to learning since the ceasefire, including at over 200 UNICEF-supported centres.
Winter and sanitation risks
Pires said children face a fourth winter in damaged tents and crowded sites, and warned that contaminated water could overflow into residential areas as winter rains approach, pointing to the half-full Sheikh Radwan stormwater basin. All six wastewater treatment plants remain out of service and most raw sewage is pumped into the sea, he said.
UNICEF said the basin could be drained within two weeks but that the necessary equipment has not been allowed by Israel to enter Gaza. It called on parties to uphold the ceasefire and UN Security Council Resolution 2803.
What does UNICEF say about children and sanitation in Gaza?
UNICEF says all six wastewater treatment plants are out of service, most raw sewage goes into the sea, and the Sheikh Radwan basin is half-full. It warns winter rains could overflow contaminated water into residential areas.
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