- Israel's airstrikes target shelters housing displaced families
- UNICEF unable to access supplies, worsening the crisis
- Gaza's children endure constant violence with no safe refuge
Israel’s latest airstrikes in Gaza have targeted tents and buildings where displaced people, including children, have sought shelter since the conflict began 15 months ago, according to a spokesperson for the United Nations children’s agency.
Rosalia Bollen, a UNICEF spokesperson in southern Gaza’s Rafah, described the situation: “It’s been an incredibly difficult night for all of us here in the Al-Mawasi Rafah area. This is where families fled to for safety when the war started.”
Gazans were woken by airstrikes around 2 a.m. local time, accompanied by “very heavy, loud explosions” that caused the building they were in to “shake violently,” she told CNN’s Christina McFarlane.
This renewed bombardment follows a blockade on vital aid supplies. Bollen explained that UNICEF and other humanitarian groups have been unable to retrieve essential supplies from the border crossings for the past two weeks.
“These hospitals will soon be overwhelmed with critically injured patients. In addition to the hundreds reported dead, there will be many more severely wounded, including numerous children. We urgently call for the reinstatement of the ceasefire – it is essential to save children’s lives,” Bollen said.
“Bombs have also hit tents and other shelters where families have taken refuge. Dozens of children are reported dead, and many more are injured. This is heartbreaking, as children in Gaza have already been traumatized by 15 months of continuous conflict. They are stuck in a constant cycle of violence and extreme stress, with the painful realization that nowhere in Gaza is safe.”
