UNICEF: Children in Gaza are in urgent need of psychological support

NEW YORK: UNICEF spokesman, Kazem Abu Khalaf, said the children in the Gaza Strip are the most affected by what is happening there, stressing that they are in urgent need of psychological support. He said that the current situation in the Gaza Strip requires an urgent response to help children who suffer from the loss of education and serious psychological damage, adding that the number of children who have been killed in Gaza is at least 14 thousand, in addition to thousands of injuries. He noted that the number of reported deaths is likely an underestimate. According to the organization's official website, Abu Khalaf said that all children in the Gaza Strip need psychological support; as at least 625,000 children have lost a school year since the war on the Strip began last October, and some children have had their limbs amputated and need to travel abroad for treatment. He stressed that many children in Gaza are experiencing fear and anxiety due to the war. He pointed out that UNICEF has worked during the previous period with its partners in the Gaza Strip to create safe temporary learning spaces; large tents in the middle of displaced persons' communities, however, all attempts have been thwarted due to the continuous Israeli targeting of these areas. The spokesman added that UNICEF and its humanitarian partners are trying to provide as many services as possible under the current circumstances, including food and fuel assistance to hospitals, noting that they are coordinating with the World Health Organization (WHO) to evacuate 170 people in need of treatment abroad. Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA