NEW YORK (Palestine Foundation Information Center) The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Sunday that children in Palestine are facing “extremely alarming” conditions, living in “intense fear and anxiety,” and suffering from the consequences of being deprived of humanitarian aid and protection.
This statement came from Edward Peppard, UNICEF’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, following a four-day field visit to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Peppard said that the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is “extremely alarming, as nearly all of the 2.4 million children are affected in one way or another.”
He added, “Some children live in intense fear and anxiety, while others face real consequences from being deprived of humanitarian aid and protection, or are displaced, facing destruction, or even death. They must be protected.”
He noted that about one million children in the Gaza Strip lack the basic necessities for survival due to restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid.
In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the UN official confirmed that more than 200 Palestinian children and 3 Israeli children have been killed since October 2023, marking the highest death toll among children in such a timeframe in the past two decades.
He emphasized that “children must not be killed, injured, or displaced, and all parties must respect their obligations under international law.”
“Basic civilian needs related to protection must be met, and the flow of humanitarian aid must be allowed to move quickly and widely,” according to UNICEF.
At the beginning of March 2025, the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, which lasted for 42 days, ended, while Israel reneged on entering the second phase and concluding the war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to extend the first phase of the agreement, which came into effect on January 19, 2025, to secure the release of as many Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip as possible, without offering anything in return or fulfilling the military and humanitarian obligations imposed in the agreement during the past period, in order to appease the extremists in his government.
In contrast, Hamas asserts its commitment to implementing the agreement and demands that Israel adhere to all its terms, calling on mediators to immediately begin negotiations for the second phase, which includes an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and a complete halt to the war.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, resulting in more than 160,000 Palestinian martyrs and injured, most of whom are children and women, along with over 14,000 missing persons.
Since the beginning of its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army and settlers have intensified their assaults in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, resulting in the martyrdom of more than 935 Palestinians, nearly 7,000 injuries, and the arrest of 15,640, according to official Palestinian data.
