UNICEF Concerned For Children In Gaza; 300 Children Killed, 1,500 Wounded

New York, NY (AHN) - UNICEF officials said they were concerned with the humanitarian crisis faced by children in Gaza where 300 youngsters have been killed and another 1,500 children have been wounded since the Israeli military began its operations on Dec. 27.

"Each day more children are being hurt, their small bodies wounded, their young lives shattered," UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman said in an emailed statement Wednesday.

Veneman emphasized that the children must be protected.

She said that the 300 children who have been killed and the 1,500 who have been wounded "are not just cold figures. They talk of children's lives interrupted."

"No human being can watch this without being moved. No parent can witness this and not see their own child," Veneman said. "This is tragic. This is unacceptable."

She continued by saying that it was unprecedented to have a large civilian population trapped in a war zone with no way to escape from the fighting, especially since the majority of the trapped 1.5 million civilians in Gaza are children.

"The crisis in Gaza is singular in that children and their families have nowhere to escape, no refuge. The very thought of being trapped in a closed area is disturbing for adults in peace times. What then goes through the mind of a child who is trapped in such relentless violence?" Veneman said.

Saying that innocent children "are bearing the brunt of a conflict which is not theirs," Veneman said that protecting the children in Gaza must be an "absolute priority."

She said that UNICEF and its partners were doing all they could to help the children and their families with urgent needs including water, educational and resuscitation kits and other items.