(VOVWORLD) -The number of child deaths reported in the Gaza Strip in four months is higher than that for all wars around the world in the four previous years, said the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
 Ruined buildings after Israeli air strikes in the Gaza on October 7, 2023 (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA, posted the information from Gaza's health authorities on the X network on Tuesday.
They show that from last October through February, more than 12,300 children died in the enclave. The agency says the number of children who died in conflicts worldwide in 2019 through 2022 was 12,193. Lazzarini said, "This war is a war on children. It is a war on their childhood and their future," and called for an immediate ceasefire "for the sake of children in Gaza."
Concerning about the situation in Gaza, countries keep calling on Israel to ensure that humanitarian aid is allowed to reach people in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that relief aid will not be enough if the conflict in Gaza continues, obstructing trucks from passing the Rafah border gate. He affirmed that Turkey will continue to increase aid during the Ramadan month from March 11th to April 8th. So far Turkey has sent more than 40,000 tons of aid to Gaza through the border gates between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.