EBN- The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has revealed that around 17,000 children in Gaza Strip have become orphaned or separated from their families during the ongoing Israeli military operation since October 7th of 2023.
The organisation added that almost all children in the Strip – more than a million children – are in need of support in the field of mental health.
Jonathan Crick, the Communications Officer at UNICEF in the occupied Palestinian territories, said on Friday that the children show symptoms such as extremely high levels of continuous anxiety, loss of appetite, inability to sleep, or experiencing emotional outbursts or panic every time they hear the sound of shelling.
For her part, Catherine Russell, the Executive Director of UNICEF, warned against abandoning the children of Gaza, saying that their situation is growing darker day by day.
A statement by the Joint Permanent Committee of United Nations agencies, dated January 31st, warned that the countries that suspended their financial support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, would lead to a catastrophe for the people of Gaza.
Further analysis reveals the scale of destruction of farmland, identifying multiple areas of extensive damage.
Satellite data analysis shows the true extent of the destruction. The analysis suggests between 144,000 and 175,000 buildings across the whole Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed. That’s between 50% and 61% of Gaza’s buildings.
The analysis, carried out by Corey Scher of City University of New York and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University, compares images to reveal sudden changes in the height or structure of buildings which indicate damage.
