More than 13,000 children killed in Israeli offensive, says Unicef
Many kids are suffering from severe malnutrition and do not ‘even have the energy to cry': UN agency official
The UN children's agency said on Sunday over 13,000 children have been killed in Gaza in Israel's offensive, adding many kids were suffering from severe malnutrition and did not "even have the energy to cry."
"Thousands more have been injured or we can't even determine where they are. They may be stuck under rubble ... We haven't seen that rate of death among children in almost any other conflict in the world," Unicef Executive Director Catherine Russell told CBS News' "Face the Nation" programme on Sunday.
"I've been in wards of children who are suffering from severe anemia malnutrition, the whole ward is absolutely quiet. Because the children, the babies ... don't even have the energy to cry."
Russell said there were "very great bureaucratic challenges" moving trucks into Gaza for aid and assistance.
International criticism has mounted on Israel due to the death toll of the war, the starvation crisis in Gaza, and allegations of blocking aid deliveries into the enclave.
A UN expert said earlier this month that Israel was destroying Gaza's food system as part of a broader "starvation campaign." Israel rejected the accusation.
One in three children under age 2 in northern Gaza is now acutely malnourished and famine is looming, the main UN agency operating in the Palestinian enclave said on Saturday.
Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday that Israel's military campaign in Gaza had turned the territory into the world's biggest "open-air graveyard".
"Gaza was before the war the greatest open-air prison. Today it's the greatest open-air graveyard," Borrell said at a meeting of EU ministers in Brussels. "It's a graveyard for tens of thousands of people and also a graveyard for many of the most important principles of humanitarian law."
Borrell on Monday also reiterated his accusation that Israel was using famine as a "weapon of war" by not allowing aid trucks into Gaza. "Israel is provoking famine," he told a humanitarian conference.
Borrell, accused Israel of continuing to hinder efforts to deliver aid to Gaza, saying the territory faces an “entirely man-made” famine as "starvation is used as a weapon of war.” “We are in a state of famine, affecting thousands of people,” Borrell said. “Starvation is used as a weapon of war."
He went on to call for greater efficiency at the two functioning border crossings and for Israel to open additional ones.
“Israel has to do it. It is not a question of logistics. It is not because the United Nations has not provided enough support," he said. "The support is there, waiting. Trucks are stopped. People are dying, while the land crossings are artificially closed.”
The 27-nation EU has struggled to come up with a united response to the war in Gaza as some members firmly back Israel and others are more pro-palestinian. EU ministers were set to discuss a proposal by Ireland and Spain to suspend a cooperation agreement with Israel, but that move was unlikely to get the support of all 27 countries.
Israel launches another raid on Gaza's main hospital
Israeli forces launched another raid on the Gaza Strip's largest hospital early on Monday, saying Hamas militants had regrouped there and had fired on them from inside the compound, where Palestinian officials say tens of thousands of people have been sheltering.
The army last raided Shifa Hospital in November after claiming that Hamas maintained an elaborate command centre within and beneath the facility. The military revealed a tunnel leading to some underground rooms, as well as weapons it said were found inside the hospital. But the evidence fell short of the earlier claims, and critics accused the army of recklessly endangering the lives of civilians.
People sheltering in the hospital said Israeli forces backed by tanks and artillery had surrounded the medical complex and that snipers were shooting at people inside. They said the army raided a number of buildings and detained dozens of people.
“We're trapped inside,” said Abdel-hady Sayed, who has been sheltering in the medical facility for over three months. “They fire at anything moving. … Doctors and ambulances can't move.”
Gaza's Health Ministry said the Israeli army was directing gun and missile fire at a building used for specialized surgeries. It said a fire broke out at the hospital's gate.
The ministry said around 30,000 people are sheltering at the hospital, including patients, medical staff and people who have fled their homes seeking safety.
Most of Gaza's medical facilities have been forced to shut down for lack of fuel and medical supplies, even as scores of people are killed and wounded each day in Israeli strikes. The Gaza Health Ministry said Monday that at least 31,726 Palestinians have been killed in the war, including 81 in the past 24 hours. The ministry doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead. The United States, Qatar and Egypt have spent weeks trying to broker another cease-fire and hostage release, but the gulf between the two sides remains wide, with Hamas demanding guarantees for an end to the war and Israel vowing to continue the offensive until it destroys the militant group.
Israel's offensive has driven most of Gaza's 2.3 million people from their homes and the UN says a quarter of the population is starving. Northern Gaza, including Gaza City, was the first target of the invasion and suffered widespread destruction. The military said late last year that it had dismantled most of Hamas' military infrastructure in the north and withdrew thousands of forces, but sporadic fighting has continued.
The north is the epicentre of Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe, with many residents reduced to eating animal feed. At least 20 people, mostly children, have died from malnutrition and dehydration in the north, the Health Ministry said earlier this month.
Airdrops by the US and other nations continue, while deliveries on a new sea route have begun, but aid groups say it's essential that Israel open up more ground routes and ease restrictions to meet the mounting humanitarian needs. The international aid group Oxfam said on Sunday that a “dysfunctional and undersized inspection system” snarls the entry of aid, with trucks stranded in long lines for 20 days on average.
The group says it has an entire warehouse filled with goods that were rejected, including oxygen, incubators and water and sanitation gear.
“Israeli authorities are not only failing to facilitate the international aid effort but are actively hindering it,” said Oxfam Mideast director Sally Abi Khalil.
Thousands more have been injured or we can’t even determine where they are. They may be stuck under rubble ... We haven’t seen that rate of death among children in almost any other conflict in the world.”
Children are suffering from severe anemia malnutrition, the whole ward is absolutely quiet. Because the children, the babies ... don’t even have the energy to cry.” Catherine Russell Unicef Executive Director
It’s (Gaza) a graveyard for tens of thousands of people and also a graveyard for many of the most important principles of humanitarian law.”
We are in a state of famine, affecting thousands of people. Starvation is used as a weapon of war. Trucks are stopped. People are dying, while the land crossings are artificially closed.” Josep Borrell EU foreign policy chief