UNITED NATIONS, May 28. /TASS/. More than 1,300 children have been killed and over 3,700 injured in the Gaza Strip since the resumption of hostilities in the enclave on March 18, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Regional Director for Middle East and North Africa Edouard Beigbeder said.
"Since the end of the ceasefire on March 18, 1,309 children have reportedly been killed and 3,738 injured," Beigbeger said in a statement released by the UNICEF press office. He added that in total, more than 50,000 children have reportedly been killed or injured since the beginning of the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in early October 2023. "How many more dead girls and boys will it take? What level of horror must be livestreamed before the international community fully steps up, uses its influence, and takes bold, decisive action to force the end of this ruthless killing of children?"
UNICEF called on all parties to the conflict "to stop the violence, protect civilians, including children <...> allow the immediate provision of humanitarian aid, and release all hostages." "The children of Gaza need protection. They need food, water, and medicine. They need a ceasefire," Beigbeger emphasized.
On March 18, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported widespread strikes on Hamas strongholds in the Gaza Strip, thus ending the truce established in January this year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that Israel had renewed military operations in Gaza after Hamas rejected the US proposals put forward by mediators and US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff.
The office stated that the Israeli military had resumed strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza to secure the release of hostages and that the army would intensify its campaign in the enclave. The radicals have blamed the United States for the resumption of Israeli aggression.