The United Nations Relief and Works Organization for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) recently said that out of all the people who have been killed in the Gaza Strip because of Israeli attacks in the past three weeks, 70% of them were children and women. Can you believe that?
No Safe Place in Gaza
The head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, spoke up about this issue in front of the UN Security Council. He said that because of the heavy bombing by Israel, there is no safe place in Gaza. It's really sad to think that innocent people, especially children and women, are being hurt because of this violence.
Random Targeting
Lazzarini also mentioned that Israel is randomly targeting important places like churches, mosques, hospitals, and places where people who have lost their homes are staying. This is part of their continuous bombing of the Gaza Strip. He called it a form of punishment for the people who live there. It's not fair for them to suffer like this.
Forced Displacement and Collective Punishment
The head of UNRWA explained that the people in Gaza are being forced to leave their homes and are being punished as a group. This is called forced displacement and collective punishment. It's really hard for the people in Gaza to live a normal life because of this situation.
Communication Outage and Collapse of Civil Order
Last week, there was a problem with communication in Gaza. This made things even worse for the people there. Lazzarini warned that if the situation continues to get worse, it will be difficult for the United Nations to help the people in Gaza. This is really concerning because they need all the help they can get.
Children as the Most Affected
The Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Catherine Russell, shared some heartbreaking numbers. She said that more than 3,400 children have been killed in Gaza because of the Israeli bombing. And at least 6,300 children have been injured. Can you imagine that? It means that every day, around 420 children are either killed or injured in Gaza. This is really shocking and it should make us all feel sad.
Destruction of Schools and Homes
Russell also mentioned that the Israeli attacks have destroyed at least 221 schools and over 177,000 homes in Gaza. This means that many children have lost their schools and their homes. It's really devastating for them.
UNRWA Employees at Risk
UNRWA, the organization that helps the people in Gaza, shared some sad news. They said that 63 of their employees have been killed since October 7. This shows that even the people who are trying to help are in danger. UNRWA called for an end to the targeting of their employees and mentioned that they are still working to help those in need, despite the risks.
