Middle East & North Africa
UNICEF says more than 340 children reported killed in Gaza since the ceasefire, with 800,000 still displaced
UNICEF told a Geneva briefing on 16 October that over 340 children have been reported killed since the ceasefire, and that 800,000 remain displaced as winter approaches.
UNICEF said on 16 October that more than 340 children have been reported killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, and that hundreds more have been injured. Spokesperson Ricardo Pires gave the figures at a briefing for journalists in Geneva, as relayed by UN News.
The figures are UNICEF’s. The UN News report does not set out how the underlying reports were verified, and it carries no response from the Israeli authorities.
Recent weeks and displacement
In the two weeks before the briefing, UNICEF said, five boys and two girls were reported killed and at least 33 children were seriously injured. Two more boys died of injuries sustained earlier, it said. Mr Pires said these numbers do not amount to a ceasefire for the families affected.
UNICEF also said about 800,000 children remain displaced in Gaza and estimated that around 60,000 children have lost one or both parents, either during the war or since the ceasefire.
Schooling, cash and water
The agency reported some progress. More than 560,000 children have returned to learning, including at over 200 UNICEF-supported learning centres, it said. Digital cash assistance has reached more than 380,000 people, and safe water more than 1.2 million people, according to UNICEF.
Mr Pires warned that time is short before the winter rains arrive, particularly for pumping out sewage and wastewater, and said Gaza cannot return to a situation in which children and families do not receive the supplies and services they need.
Part of a wider UN picture
The briefing followed a week of UN warnings on Gaza. On 14 October OCHA said partners were preparing for winter while attacks continued; Geopolitiki reported that in OCHA: Gaza braces for winter as attacks continue and aid access stays restricted. On 15 October the Security Council held its quarterly debate on the Palestinian question, covered in UK at the Security Council: two-state solution “under serious threat”, with calls on Israel over Gaza aid and E1 and on Hamas to disarm.
The account above is based on the UN News report of 16 October on the UNICEF briefing. Casualty figures are UNICEF’s own and are not independently confirmed here.
