Gaza children’s lives “hang in the balance”

“Children’s lives hang in the balance. ...the nightmare for children in Gaza is far from over. Without urgent assistance, children will continue to die. It is heartbreaking to witness suffering on a mass scale and with so many children impacted. Children are visibly malnourished, many with disabilities and injuries that will last a lifetime...” Inger Ashing, CEO of Save the Children International said during a recent visit to Gaza.

On her part, voicing concern about the killing of children in the Gaza Strip on April 17, Catherine Russell UNICEF Executive Director wrote on X that "Images of children burning while sheltering in makeshift tents should shake us all to our core".

The conflict that escalated on 7 October 2023 has caused unprecedented devastating humanitarian consequences for children across the Gaza Strip.

After 17 months of war, thousands of children in the Gaza Strip have been facing severe malnutrition, sickness and disease.

UN recorded recently that 36 Israeli air attacks between March 18 and April 9 in Gaza that killed only women and children.

Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, highlighted on April 11 “the death, the destruction, the displacement, the denial of access to basic necessities within Gaza and the repeated suggestion that Gazans should leave the territory entirely”.

She pointed in particular to the dire effect of Israel’s ongoing air attacks on civilians, lamenting that “a large percentage of fatalities are children and women.”

Israel’s ongoing blockade on the entry of humanitarian aid has a “devastating impact” on children in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, on its part, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warned on April 9.

"It is over five weeks since the Israeli-imposed siege suspended the entry of aid and commercial supplies into Gaza," UNRWA said in a statement.

“Safe water, food, shelter, and medical care have become increasingly scarce. The impact on children is devastating.”

Since March 2 this year, Israel has closed Gaza’s crossings and blocked the entry of essential supplies, including food, water, and medicine, worsening the already deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the enclave.

“In northern Gaza, children are not looking for their toys or pencils, but for water,” UNRWA said. 

“They are not going to school, but pushing carts to help fetch something to soothe their thirst.”

The Israeli army halted the flow of water from the Israeli company Mekorot to Gaza, effectively cutting off 70 per cent of the enclave’s total water supply. 

On the other hand, Gaza today faces the ‘largest orphan crisis’ in modern history, a report by the Palestinian statistics agency has said.

In a statement on April 3, the eve of Palestinian Children’s Day, the agency said over 39,384 children in Gaza have lost one or both parents after 534 days of Israel’s assault, which has ravaged the tiny enclave and displaced most of its 2.3 million citizens.

The bureau said among them are about 17,000 children who have been deprived of both parents since October 2023, when Israel launched its genocidal offensive.

“These children are living in tragic conditions, with many forced to take refuge in torn tents or destroyed homes, in a near-total absence of social care and psychological support,” the statement by the bureau said. “The Gaza Strip is suffering from the largest orphan crisis in modern history.”

According to the statement, at least 17,954 children have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, including 274 newborn babies and 876 infants below the age of one year.

“Seventeen children also froze to death in the tents sheltering displaced people, and 52 others died of starvation and systematic malnutrition,” it added.

The bureau, warned that 60,000 children are at risk of death due to severe levels of malnutrition and looming famine.

Moreover, the extensive damage to water, sanitation and waste management infrastructure, the lack of critical resources to operate and maintain the remaining infrastructure and the resulting poor hygiene conditions are leaving almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip prone to public health risks.

Since resuming its offensive in Gaza after the fragile ceasefire that brought few weeks of respite, Israel has sealed vital border crossings – prohibiting the entry of much-needed humanitarian aid, including fuel, and medical supplies into the Strip.

However, before the last ceasefire came into effect in January, , Israeli forces kept the border crossings largely shut, turning away thousands of convoys carrying aid supplies.

The near collapse of Gaza's public services has triggered a severe health crisis and the destruction of health facilities, coupled with overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, has led to outbreaks of many diseases and acute respiratory infections, putting young children at particular risk. 

The Israeli army renewed its deadly assault on Gaza on March 18 of and has since killed nearly 1,500 victims, injured 3,700 others, and shattered a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in the enclave that was signed last January.

More than 51,065 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

Violence and grave violations against children, displacement and economic hardship have intensified mental health and protection needs for children across the Gaza Strip.

The situation continues to have a devastating impact on the physical and mental well-being of children and their Palestinian communities. 

Without a cessation of hostilities, increased accessibility and scaled-up humanitarian interventions focusing on saving lives, the conditions of children and their families are expected to worsen.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to escalate attacks on Gaza as efforts are underway to implement US President Donald Trump's plan to displace Palestinians from the enclave.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

Nearly every child in Gaza knows what it is to be displaced, their families have been torn apart and their homes destroyed.

Children are visibly malnourished, many with disabilities and injuries that will last a lifetime. No child will emerge from the horrors of bombardment without the imprint of trauma.

No child should grow up in fear, pain and hunger. Yet, today, no child in Gaza is free from fear, pain and hunger.

In fact, they will be considered lucky if they can even survive this war and have the chance to grow up.

The only way to stop this suffering is for a lasting and definitive ceasefire. 

The international community must hold accountable those responsible for the harm inflicted on children and the lives taken. 

The root causes of repeated violence and the decades-long child rights crisis across the occupied Palestinian territory must be addressed. 

We are witnessing acts of war in Gaza that show an utter disregard for human life.   

World leaders must act firmly, urgently and decisively to ensure the basic principles of international humanitarian law are upheld. 

"All parties to this conflict must respect international humanitarian law. Protect civilians. Facilitate aid. Release hostages. Renew a ceasefire," Catherine Russell stressed.

Najla M. Shahwan is a Palestinian author, researcher and freelance journalist