Gaza becomes 'graveyard' for children: UNRWA chief

GAZA - Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said on Wednesday that Gaza has become a "graveyard" for children.

"They are being killed, injured, forced to flee, and deprived of safety, education, and play," Lazzarini said in a statement marking World Children's Day, observed annually on Nov 20.

"Their childhood has been stolen, and they are on the verge of becoming a lost generation, having lost another school year," Lazzarini said.

He noted that children in the West Bank are enduring constant fear and anxiety. Since last October, more than 170 children have been killed, while many others have lost their childhood to detention in Israeli facilities.

On Wednesday, Palestinian groups called for international action to protect children in Gaza and the West Bank, highlighting the catastrophic humanitarian conditions they are enduring.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement emphasizing that children are the most vulnerable and affected by Israeli practices, enduring dire conditions that violate their fundamental rights, including the right to life.

The ministry warned that children in Gaza face a real threat, with hundreds of thousands estimated to be suffering from severe shortages of food and clean drinking water.

The statement also emphasized that children in the West Bank are consistently subjected to the same "criminal" policies, such as arbitrary detention, and face illegal trials, which blatantly violate their rights under international agreements.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian National Council said that children in Gaza are "paying the heavy price" since October 2023, "in full view of the world, which remains unable to stop this genocide."

A statement issued by the council on the occasion noted that the bodies of Gaza's children have been exposed to various weapons, including rockets and bombs, as well as "the most horrific images of killing and destruction", with many dying from hunger, thirst, and diseases due to the siege. Thousands of children have become orphans.