The Israel-Gaza war has continued since October 7 (file photo)
Geneva, Switzerland:
The situation in war-torn Gaza is dire and teenagers say they want to be killed as soon as possible to escape a “nightmare”, a spokesman for the United Nations children’s agency said on Tuesday.
“In Gaza, people often hear unspeakable things,” said UNICEF spokesman James Elder.
He told reporters in Geneva via a video message from Rafah in southern Gaza that the agency held a meeting with teenagers on Monday.
Some said they “wanted this nightmare to end so badly that they wished to be killed,” he said.
The war began with a Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that killed about 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
Hamas agents have also seized about 250 hostages, of which Israel believes about 130 are still being held in Gaza, 33 of whom are suspected to be dead.
According to the Health Ministry, Israeli retaliation against Hamas has resulted in the deaths of at least 32,333 people in Gaza, mostly women and children.
The United Nations has warned that Gaza is facing looming famine, prompting increasingly urgent calls for Israel to open more crossings and stop blocking the flow of aid through the Palestinian territory.
Jens Laerke, spokesman for the U.N. humanitarian agency, told reporters that the Israelis “have the right to control. They inspect every gram, every liter, every kilogram that comes into Gaza.”
“But they can’t say, once it’s inside, we’re leaving it with you. They have to create an enabling environment that allows us to move it.”
“We need to dispel the notion that their obligation to provide aid is just to deliver a few trucks across the border, which is only a fraction of what is needed,” he said.
“That’s not correct.”
Meanwhile, Elder noted that since the beginning of this month, Israel has rejected a quarter of 40 mission requests to the north.
“There is now an existing old crossing that can be used in the north, just 10 minutes away from where people put their hands in their mouths and beg for food,” he said, referring to the Erez crossing.
“10 minutes. Turn it on and we could reverse this humanitarian crisis in a matter of days. But it’s still closed.”
“Let us be clear, life-saving assistance is being hindered, lives are being lost and dignity is being denied.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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