UNICEF says Gaza offers no safe childhood as bombardment continues

A UNICEF spokesperson said children in the Gaza Strip have no safe environment and that bombardment continues without pause. Louise Wateridge, the agency’s spokesperson, said children who should be in classrooms and playgrounds spend each day searching for food, water and medicine. The UN official described daily life in Gaza as "inhuman," adding that children have lived for more than two and a half years in conditions where fear has become normalized. She said UNICEF reports can no longer keep pace with the scale of suffering and that new tragedies continue even during periods of ceasefire. According to figures from the Palestinian Health Ministry, 21,638 children have been killed in the latest war, accounting for roughly 30 percent of total fatalities. The ministry said more than 45,000 children have been wounded, with amputations reported in about 1,000 cases. Separately, the Palestinian Education Ministry’s data from April 20 showed 19,061 students and 801 education personnel have been killed.