Skip to playerSkip to main content
  • 2 years ago
Gaza has become "a living hell" says UNICEF spokesperson James Elder. Speaking at a press conference in Geneva, as fighting in Gaza continues more than three weeks after the bloody Hamas attack that left at least 1,400 Israelis dead, Elder explains that "the threats to children go beyond bombs and mortars" citing "water and trauma" as the biggest issues to confront. Since the beginning of Israel's response to the October 7 attack, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has reported more than 8,500 deaths.
Transcript
00:00 Gaza has become a graveyard for children.
00:03 It's a living hell for everyone else.
00:06 And yet the threats to children go beyond bombs and mortars.
00:11 I want to speak briefly now on two of those,
00:13 water and trauma.
00:16 The more than 1 million children of Gaza
00:19 have a critical water crisis.
00:22 Gaza's water production now,
00:24 its capacity is at 5%,
00:27 5% of its daily output.
00:30 So child deaths to dehydration,
00:32 particularly infant deaths to dehydration,
00:35 are a growing threat.
00:37 Then of course we have the trauma.
00:40 When finally the fighting stops,
00:44 the cost to children and their communities
00:46 is going to be borne out for generations to come.
00:49 Before this latest escalation,
00:51 before it, more than 800,000 children in Gaza,
00:55 that's three quarters of the entire child population of Gaza,
00:59 were identified as needing mental health
01:01 and psychological support.
01:03 Again, that's before this latest nightmare.
01:06 [BLANK_AUDIO]
Comments

Recommended