UNICEF: Continuous bombing prevents the protection of Gaza's children, and terror has become a normalized reality

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) stressed that providing effective protection for children in the Gaza Strip remains impossible as long as military operations and aerial bombardment continue. The organization clarified that the absence of safety prevents children from living their normal lives, as anxiety and fear have become an integral part of their daily lives amid a complete collapse of the childhood system.

Responsible sources in the international organization reported that children who were supposed to be in school seats or playgrounds now find themselves facing a harsh reality. They are forced daily to painstakingly search for basic necessities such as food, water, and medicine, in a desperate attempt to survive amidst conditions described by the organization as inhumane.

UNICEF spokesperson, Louise Wateridge, indicated that field reports are no longer able to keep up with the accelerating scale of atrocities, as new tragedies emerge after every report of a child's injury or death. She affirmed that psychological trauma has permeated the fabric of childhood, leaving the young in a vicious cycle of displacement, hunger, and endless diseases.

In an accurate description of the field reality, sources stated that residents are now confined to an area not exceeding 40% of the total area of the Strip, leading to dangerous overcrowding. This overcrowding was accompanied by a horrific health deterioration, reaching the point where children were exposed to attacks by rodents and rats while sleeping in dilapidated displacement centers.

Regarding human losses, data from the Ministry of Health's information unit revealed shocking figures, with 21,638 children martyred since the beginning of the aggression, representing about 30% of the total victims. More than 45,000 children were also injured with varying degrees of wounds, including about a thousand children who underwent amputations of their limbs, leaving them with permanent disabilities.

The targeting did not stop at lives but systematically affected the educational system, as data from the Ministry of Education indicates the martyrdom of more than 19,000 male and female students. Educational staff also suffered heavy losses with the martyrdom of 801 teachers and workers in the educational sector, which hinders any immediate hope of restoring the educational process.

Regarding educational infrastructure, the bombing caused the complete or partial destruction of 179 government schools, in addition to damage to 105 schools belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). This widespread destruction makes returning to classrooms a distant prospect even if military operations cease, given the enormous scale of destruction and lack of resources.

UNICEF concluded by affirming that any humanitarian response, no matter how strong, cannot be a substitute for an immediate cessation of violence and a sustainable flow of aid. The organization stressed that the children of Gaza desperately need to reclaim their stolen childhood, which requires securing their homes and schools and ensuring their protection from the incessant bombing.

Protection for children in the Gaza Strip cannot be provided while bombs continue to fall from the sky; terror has become completely normalized.