Gaza's children endure unimaginable trauma as war rages on

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Gaza's children endure unimaginable trauma as war rages on

2025-08-01 17:44 Last Updated At：20:37

Gaza's children remain the war's primary victims - facing what UNICEF calls "the world's most dangerous place to be a child" after over 660 days of Israel strikes that have killed over 60,000 Palestinians.

Those who survive gunfire grapple with starvation, orphanhood and systemic trauma.

In a heart-wrenching scene following an Israeli airstrike, a young Palestinian boy stood trembling next to his father's lifeless body. Sobbing, he clung to his father's blood-stained clothing, pleading, "I want anything from his scent. I just want something from him, a piece of his clothes," as bystanders gently tried to console him.

When he finally found his voice, the boy shared the harrowing ordeal he had endured.

"We were in our tent when my father and I went to our house to collect some belongings. He went inside while I waited outside. Suddenly, a man came and told me that my father had been killed; so, we pulled him out," he said.

The emotional moment reflects the deep trauma endured by Gaza's youngest residents, who are the primary victims of this 662-day-long war.

Two prominent Israeli human rights organizations, B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI), on Monday published separate reports alleging for the first time that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

Since October 2023, reports indicate that Israel has targeted 33 out of 36 hospitals and clinics in Gaza, cutting off access to fuel and water. These attacks have compounded a growing humanitarian crisis, with dozens dying daily from malnutrition. At least 85 children have reportedly starved to death, and 92 percent of infants aged six months to two years are not receiving adequate nutrition.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces have targeted aid centers, turning them into perilous zones where seeking help has become a deadly risk.

"The places where we get food and aid, have become death trap, we are only asking for basic rights and necessities," said one of the locals.

UNGA President warns global multilateral system "under attack"

The multilateral system is "under attack" amid global turmoil, President of the 80th UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock warned in her remarks on Wednesday.

In her briefing on the priorities for the resumed 80th Session of the General Assembly, the UNGA president noted that the current multilateral system does not collapse all in a sudden, but "crumbles piece by piece" in divisions, compromises, and lack of political commitment.

The president called all the UN member states to defend the UN Charter and international law and promote cross-regional cooperation.

She also urged to push forward the work of the UNGA on certain critical issues with a strong majority, rather than an absolute consensus among all member states. Such act is not a failure of multilateralism, but "an affirmation of it," she said.

The foundational principles of the institution should not be eroded by appeasement, she said, calling the member states to show courage, leadership, and responsibility at the UN's "critical make-or-break moment."

"The UN needs you. Your support, your leadership, your principle, stand, your cross-regional cooperation, if we are to preserve and modernize this institution, if we are to make it, rather than break it," she said.