NNA - Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action, stressed the urgent need for an immediate end to the hostilities and a negotiated political settlement that prioritises the rights and well-being of both Israeli and Palestinian children, now and in the future.

He was briefing and taking questions from journalists at UN Headquarters in New York, via video link from the West Bank, having concluded a visit to Israel and Palestine.

Mr. Chaiban recalled his meeting with Israeli children and families who were affected by the 7 October 2023 attacks, stating that “they asked me to be the voice of all children to relay their suffering.”

He added that UNICEF will work with relevant ministries in Israel to ensure the children there are supported.

Mr. Chaiban also asked Israeli authorities for increased access for aid and commercial goods, in particular fresh food and nutrition supplies.

“I advocated for protecting children, improved security measures, and standard operating procedures for humanitarian personnel and facilitating the movement of separated unaccompanied children,” he said.

In Gaza and the West Bank, the senior UNICEF official warned of a “lost generation” of children, who have lost months of learning and endured agonizing trauma.

He visited Kamal Adwan Hospital in north Gaza – the only remaining paediatric unit in the area – meeting a few months-old baby who was wounded by shrapnel. Her mother was the only other survivor of a strike.

========R.H.