Gaza: ‘Hunger everywhere’, babies die of cold, airstrike against unarmed journalists condemned
In Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are sheltering in tents, temperatures are expected to drop further in the coming days.
Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, reported in a report declare on Friday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, four newborns and infants died in recent days from hypothermia.
“These preventable deaths show the desperate and deplorable conditions facing families and children across Gaza,” Mr. Beigbeder said.
“With temperatures expected to continue to fall in the coming days, it is tragically foreseeable that more children will die from the inhumane conditions they are enduring.”
The senior official emphasized the fact that, in addition to the constant threat of attacks, many people in Gaza are living without nutrition or health care. Their makeshift shelters offer no protection from the cold weather, he said.
More than 90% of Gaza’s population is facing crisis-level hunger.
Non-stop attack
Meanwhile, ongoing conflicts continue to claim Palestinian lives across the Gaza Strip, including in nearby medical facilities.
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Alarm increased of such attacks, which have also killed medical and aid workers.
“An air strike near Kamal Adwan Hospital in North Gaza province last night reportedly killed dozens of people, including medical staff. At Kamal Adwan Hospital today, staff, patients and their companions were forced to leave the premises,” the Office said in an update.
“We are alarmed by the ongoing attacks across the Gaza Strip that have left dozens of Palestinians dead. Arrests and significant damage to hospitals were reported,” it added.
Humanitarian aid is blocked
UNICEF and other United Nations agencies regularly reported that aid convoys were not allowed to enter the Gaza Strip and deliver supplies to people in need.
Mr. Beigbeder noted that, in November, an average of 65 support trucks entered the area daily, too few to adequately address the urgent needs of children, women and other civilians.
He called for all ports of entry to be opened, as well as the World Food Program (WFP), the United Nations emergency food relief agency on a social media parcel on Friday.
WFP claims that it can only bring in about a third of the food needed to support people in Gaza and that “famine is everywhere.”
WFP food assistance is a lifeline for children and families in Gaza.
The murder of the journalist was condemned
The United Nations Human Rights Office has condemned the murder of five journalists by Israeli forces on Thursday.
In a social media post published on Friday, the Office noted that the journalists were unarmed and clearly identified as members of the press, when their truck was hit by an airstrike in the area. the vicinity of Al Awda hospital in Gaza.
The Israeli military’s claim that journalists are affiliated with Palestinian armed groups does not eliminate their protection as civilians, the Office stated, reiterating that urgent measures were needed. grant to protect all civilians, including journalists, in Gaza.
The office is calling for a thorough and objective investigation into the murder.
Situation in the West Bank
Meanwhile on the West Coast, OCHA reported that as of Thursday, Israeli military operations had killed 20 Palestinians over a 10-day period, including 12 from airstrikes.
At Tulkarm refugee camp, a military operation caused significant damage to infrastructure, with OCHA raising concerns about the continued use of lethal tactics, akin to war beyond standards. law enforcement standards.
OCHA also reported that 2024 marks the highest level of displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank since records began nearly two decades ago.
As of Tuesday, 4,706 Palestinians, including 1,949 children, had been displaced, largely due to Israeli military operations, demolitions, settler violence and access restrictions.
Some 1,209 structures have been demolished or forced to be demolished this year citing a lack of permits, which are nearly impossible for Palestinians to get.
