UNITED NATIONS
\nMore than 340 children have been reportedly killed and hundreds more injured in Gaza since a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was announced, the UN Children\u2019s Fund (Unicef) said on Friday, warning that children continue to face grave risks despite the truce.
\n\u201cFor families mourning the loss of their children, those terrible statistics do not equate with a ceasefire,\u201d Unicef spokesperson Ricardo Pires told reporters in Geneva.
\nThe Unicef noted that five boys and two girls had been reported killed in Gaza over the preceding two weeks, while at least 33 children were seriously injured in air strikes, drone strikes and gunfire across the territory. Two other boys died from injuries sustained earlier, Pires said.
\nAround 800,000 children remain displaced, most living in tents or damaged buildings, while an estimated 60,000 have lost one or both parents during the war or since the ceasefire, according to the Unicef.
\nNearly every child needs some form of mental health support to recover from the effects of the conflict.
\nThe agency called on the parties to the conflict to uphold the ceasefire, comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2803 and meet their obligations under international humanitarian law.
\n\u201cAbove all, we need to listen to the voices of children in Gaza,\u201d the Unicef said, stressing that recovery meant more than survival. Children needed to return to school, spend time with friends and family, have dignified shelter, play safely and receive healthcare, the agency said.
\n\u201cGaza\u2019s children have suffered far too much, for far too long,\u201d it added.
\nThe agency stressed the need to maintain an uninterrupted flow of humanitarian and commercial supplies into Gaza, following reports that private traders had halted cooperation with Israeli authorities over the entry of commercial trucks carrying food.
\nPires recalled that supplies had been unable to enter Gaza before the ceasefire, when famine was declared by UN-backed food security experts.
\n\u201cWe can\u2019t go back to a situation where children and families are not getting all the supplies, goods and services that they require,\u201d he said.
\nDespite the continuing hardship, Unicef has helped more than 560,000 children return to learning since the ceasefire, including through more than 200 learning centres it supports.
\nThe agency has also provided digital cash assistance to more than 380,000 people and safe water to 1.2 million people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS More than 340 children have been reportedly killed and hundreds more injured in Gaza since a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was announced, the UN Children\u2019s Fund (Unicef) said on Friday, warning that children continue to face grave risks despite the truce. \u201cFor families mourning the loss of their children, those terrible statistics […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":572861,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-572847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n