More than 50 children lost their lives in a violent weekend in northern Gaza in Israeli bombardment, leaving many humanitarian workers in danger, as reported by UNICEF.
“This has been an especially deadly weekend in north Gaza. Over the past 48 hours, more than 50 children were reportedly killed in Jabalia, where strikes destroyed two residential buildings housing hundreds of people,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement on Saturday.
UNICEF reported that a personal vehicle used by one of its staff members involved in a polio vaccination campaign came under attack by what appeared to be a quadcopter in Jabalia al-Nazla. Though the vehicle was damaged, the staff member was unharmed but left “deeply shaken.”
Another strike injured three children near a vaccination clinic in Sheikh Radwan as the polio campaign continued, according to Russell.
“These attacks on Jabalia, the vaccination clinic, and our staff are further examples of the devastating impact of indiscriminate strikes on civilians in Gaza,” Russell said, describing the escalation as part of “one of the darkest chapters in this tragic conflict.”
Russell highlighted that international humanitarian law requires the protection of civilians and civilian structures, including humanitarian workers and residential areas. She noted that “displacement orders do not give any party to the conflict the right to consider all individuals or objects in an area as military targets.”
Russell also condemned the ongoing disregard for these principles, which has led to “tens of thousands of children being killed, injured, or deprived of essential services for survival.”
UNICEF has called on Israel to “immediately investigate” the incident involving its staff member and to hold accountable those responsible. Russell further urged member states to use their influence to uphold international law, emphasising the need to protect children, and stressed that “it is long past time to end this conflict.”
