The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday that some 61,000 children have reportedly been killed or maimed during the two years since the outbreak of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires said that, on average, one child has been killed or injured every 17 minutes, describing the figure as "unacceptable" and "staggering."
Pires deplored the fact that children have been "suffering in their bodies and their minds for way too long," remaining traumatized and "exposed to horrors that no child should ever have to look at or live."
He noted that in Gaza, one in every five children is born prematurely. But the territory lacks the necessary infrastructure to ensure their survival, with reports that children are forced to share oxygen masks to stay alive.
UNICEF also noted that its teams in Gaza are still waiting for a green light to fetch incubators and ventilators for premature babies evacuated from the north of the Strip.
Data released on Tuesday by Gaza's health authorities shows that Israeli military operations over the past two years have killed 67,173 Palestinians, including 20,179 children, 10,427 women, and 4,813 elderly people. This is the first time the authorities have published an overall death toll broken down by age and gender.
With over 20,000 children among the dead, the figures suggest an average of 28 children have died every day during the past two years.
Over 60,000 children killed or maimed in Israel-Palestine conflict: UNICEF
Over 60,000 children killed or maimed in Israel-Palestine conflict: UNICEF
