KUCHING, Apr 9: The situation in the Gaza Strip after 6 months being under siege by the Israeli military is a complete catastrophe, according to Jonathan Crickx, Chief of Communications for United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) State of Palestine.
With more than 13,000 children killed, as reported by the Palestinian Health Ministry, Jonathan described the Gaza Strip as a “graveyard for children”.
“In addition, the children are living in thousands of makeshift tents in very difficult conditions.
“They have very little water, very little food, and difficult access to hospitals and medical supplies,” he said during a Dialog TVS Plus interview recorded on Apr 2.
Jonathan also pointed out the unsanitary conditions in some of the refugee camps that he had visited previously, where there is only one toilet for every 500 to 700 people.
“All this is creating a terrible recipe for malnutrition, for drinking dirty water, and for the spreading of diseases.
“So we are currently in a situation where we are on the verge of famine. Many children are facing severe acute malnutrition,” he added.
Israeli forces are blocking aid deliveries into the famine-stricken northern Gaza despite strong demands from the UN and Israel’s western allies for unrestricted access for life-saving food shipments into the enclave.
According to Jonathan, UNICEF and other humanitarian organisations are focused on delivering critical life-saving supplies such as food, water, and medical supplies for the victims.
“UNICEF is addressing the acute severe malnutrition, and we have distributed energy biscuits and specialized nutrition items to 40,000 children.
“We have given medical supplies to hospitals that have held 600,000 people, and we also have delivered fresh potable water to more than 1 million people.
“That is a lot but it’s still way too little in comparison to the needs,” he remarked.
Thus, he called on the international community to mobilise their support, and at the same time highlighted UNICEF Malaysia’s efforts to raise funds towards the plight of Palestinian children.
When asked on whether UNICEF has encountered any difficulties in delivering the aid, he said there were four main obstacles: safety, access into Gaza, absence of communication networks, and lack of trucks to deliver the aid.
“So these are the challenges that we are all facing, and UNICEF and (other) UN agencies are calling on all parties to make sure that the humanitarian aid can be distributed to everyone,” he said.
Since the start of the conflict in October 2023, more than 33,100 Palestinian civilians have been killed, with 70 per cent of them being women and children, and 75,800 wounded.
The cost of damage to critical infrastructure in Gaza is estimated at around $18.5 billion (RM88 billion), according to a report by the World Bank and the United Nations.-TVS
