Gaza children ‘extremely impacted’ by war: UNICEF

Gaza children ‘extremely impacted’ by war: UNICEF
A Palestinian boy transports water amid shortages in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 3, 2024. (Reuters)
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Gaza children ‘extremely impacted’ by war: UNICEF

Gaza children ‘extremely impacted’ by war: UNICEF
  • Jonathan Crickx: ‘You see children who are not allowed to have the life of normal children, no education, no play, no joy’
  • Crickx: ‘You see a lot of children carrying these dirty yellow plastic jerrycans’ with up to 25 liters of water

JERUSALEM: Nearly a year of devastating war has left Gaza’s 2.4 million people enduring a humanitarian tragedy, with children in the besieged territory the most vulnerable, a UNICEF official told AFP in an interview.
Jonathan Crickx, the UN agency’s spokesman for the Palestinian territories, has returned this month from a week-long mission to Gaza, still heavily impacted even as Israel shifts its military focus to Lebanon.
He talked to AFP about the plight of Gaza’s children, who have not had a single day of education since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on October 7.
“You see children who are not allowed to have the life of normal children, no education, no play, no joy,” Crickx said.
“The faces of these children are... so sad.”
Most children he saw in the war-battered Palestinian territory were helping their family as they no longer had classes to attend.
“So, you see a lot of children carrying these dirty yellow plastic jerrycans” with up to 25 liters of water, he said.
“I’ve seen children pushing these jerrycans with a broken wheelchair, trying to bring water, which is one of the major issues... in the Gaza Strip.”
Crickx said it was heartbreaking to see children, some as young as five or six, trying to find food for their families.
They are “walking in huge piles of garbage and trying to get whatever they can,” he said.
“These children are extremely impacted by the violence and the bombings and insecurity they have been through for a year.”
Crickx vividly remembers his conversation with Ahmad, a 10-year-old Gazan boy who lived with his family in a displacement camp in southern Gaza.
The boy’s uncle had died a horrific death, Crickx said.
Ahmad “was saying things that a 10-year-old should not tell you, how the body was in pieces, how the head was far away,” he recalled.
“This is extremely intense and difficult to hear from a 10-year-old child.”
Many children in Gaza have lost at least one of their parents, said Crickx.
Exact figures are unavailable, “but the frequency at which we meet with those children is very high,” he said.
UNICEF estimates that there are 19,000 children who are unaccompanied or have been separated from their parents, he said.
On top of that, not a single school is functioning across Gaza, he said, and 85 percent of all school buildings have been destroyed by the fighting.
“You have the entire population of school-aged children who didn’t attend a single hour of class in the past 12 months,” Crickx said.
“What is really striking is how they want to go to school, how they want to play with their friends, how they want to see their teachers... education, learning give hope.”
UN agencies and aid groups have warned of the spread of preventable disease and other health risks compounded by the war.
“With a very high level of density of people, extremely bad hygiene conditions, high temperatures, too little access to a bathroom, it’s the perfect, terrible recipe for the emergence of diseases,” Crickx said.
Many children are sick and need treatment, but most hospitals across Gaza are not functioning.
“This situation is really leading to children not getting the proper treatment that they need,” Crickx said.
He said he had met four children in northern Gaza’s Kamal Adwan hospital who were suffering from cancer or heart problems.
“These children actually need an immediate medical evacuation (or) they will not make it,” he said.


Two-thirds of Gaza buildings damaged in war

Two-thirds of Gaza buildings damaged in war
Updated 7 sec ago
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Two-thirds of Gaza buildings damaged in war

Two-thirds of Gaza buildings damaged in war
  • High-resolution imagery collected on Sept. 3 and 6 showed clear deterioration, UN Satellite Center says

GENEVA: Two-thirds of the buildings in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed since the Gaza war began in October 2023, the UN said.

Updating its damage assessment, the UN Satellite Center, or UNOSAT, said very high-resolution imagery collected on Sept. 3 and 6 showed a clear deterioration.

“This analysis ... shows that two-thirds of the total structures in the Gaza Strip have sustained damage,” UNOSAT said.

“Those 66 percent of damaged buildings in the Gaza Strip account for 163,778 structures in total,” it said.

The last assessment, based on images from early July, determined that 63 percent of structures in the Palestinian territory had been damaged.

Monday’s update said the damage now included “52,564 structures that have been destroyed; 18,913 severely damaged; 35,591 possibly damaged structures; and 56,710 moderately affected.”

Gaza City has been notably affected, with 36,611 structures destroyed, it added.

UNOSAT and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said that approximately 68 percent of the permanent crop fields in the Gaza Strip showed “a significant decline in health and density” in September.

Hamas’s unprecedented Oct. 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures that include hostages killed in captivity.

Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 41,615 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures provided by the territory’s Health Ministry. The UN has described the figures as reliable.

Part of the UN Institute for Training and Research, or UNITAR, Geneva-based UNOSAT says its satellite imagery analysis helps the humanitarian community assess the extent of conflict-related damage and helps shape emergency relief efforts.

“Over the past year, UNOSAT’s team has worked tirelessly to provide the world with precise and timely insights into the impact of the conflict on buildings and infrastructure in Gaza,” said UNITAR’s executive director Nikhil Seth.

Critics highlight that from the time a UN General Assembly vote paved the way for Israel’s establishment in 1948, the country has ignored numerous UN resolutions and international court rulings without consequences.

Israel has always snubbed Resolution 194, which guarantees the Palestinians expelled in 1948 from the territory Israel conquered the right to return or to compensation.

It has also ignored rulings condemning its forceful acquisition of territory and the annexation of East Jerusalem after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and the continuing and expanding settlement policy in the West Bank, among others. 


Man arrested after breaking into Moroccan embassy in Sweden

Policemen stand outside Morocco's embassy to Sweden in Stockholm on September 30, 2024. (AFP)
Policemen stand outside Morocco's embassy to Sweden in Stockholm on September 30, 2024. (AFP)
Updated 45 sec ago
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Man arrested after breaking into Moroccan embassy in Sweden

Policemen stand outside Morocco's embassy to Sweden in Stockholm on September 30, 2024. (AFP)
  • The perpetrator, who has not yet been identified, is suspected of breaking and entering, aggravated vandalism and causing bodily injury, after shattered glass from a window fell on a passerby on the street, they added

STOCKHOLM: A man was arrested on Monday after breaking into Morocco’s embassy in Stockholm and smashing windows before hanging a rainbow flag from a window, police said.
Police stormed the building and arrested the man, who daily newspaper Aftonbladet said was armed with a knife and had barricaded himself in a room.
The man’s motive was not immediately known, police said.
The perpetrator, who has not yet been identified, is suspected of breaking and entering, aggravated vandalism and causing bodily injury, after shattered glass from a window fell on a passerby on the street, they added.
“The person was not seriously injured and was going to seek medical help on their own,” police said.
The embassy has yet to respond to AFP’s request for comment.
 

 


Grief and fear in Damascus after Nasrallah killing

Grief and fear in Damascus after Nasrallah killing
Updated 3 min 36 sec ago
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Grief and fear in Damascus after Nasrallah killing

Grief and fear in Damascus after Nasrallah killing

DAMASCUS: In central Damascus, a giant screen aired images of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as news of his killing in an Israeli strike reverberated across the city.

Syrians fear Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon could spill into regime-held areas, which have already faced hundreds of Israeli strikes over the years.

“Sayyed Nasrallah’s killing was a great shock and a tragedy for us and Arab nations,” said Ayham Barada, a 30-year-old shop owner. 

“We lost a man of great stature.”

Nasrallah was a key ally of President Bashar Assad and backed the Damascus regime’s forces during the Syrian civil war. 

His group, alongside Russia and Iran, helped Assad to claw back lost territory.

Assad offered condolences to Nasrallah’s family, saying he “will remain in the memory of Syrians” for heading the group during its fight “alongside Syria in its war against the tools of Israel.”

In Damascus, the group has a presence in the Sayyida Zeinab area south of the capital, home to an important Shiite Muslim shrine that is protected by pro-Iran groups.

Nasrallah’s face adorns walls across the neighborhood, and prayers echo from loudspeakers. Residents say that young men distribute white roses and water to passersby. In other parts of the city, mourners gathered for three days to mark his death.


Lebanon’s prime minister calls for ceasefire with Israel

Lebanon’s prime minister calls for ceasefire with Israel
Updated 49 min 48 sec ago
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Lebanon’s prime minister calls for ceasefire with Israel

Lebanon’s prime minister calls for ceasefire with Israel
  • France, the UAE begin relief efforts
  • Hezbollah’s deputy chief vows to keep fighting

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for a ceasefire on Monday in the fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah during a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Beirut.

According to a statement from his office, Mikati said: “The key to the solution is to put an end to the Israeli aggression against Lebanon and to revive the appeal launched by the United States and France … in favor of a ceasefire.”

As Israel deploys troops in preparation for a potential ground incursion into Lebanon, and amid the ongoing displacement in the south, Bekaa and Beirut’s southern suburbs, Barrot held discussions in Beirut with Lebanese officials, politicians, religious leaders, and the army.

In a statement issued by the French Embassy, Barrot affirmed that “in the face of the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, France stands alongside Lebanon and remains committed to protecting civilians, and the security of its citizens.”

Barrot emphasized “France’s support for Lebanon and its people,” adding that “his country is keen on supporting the Lebanese army and helping it during these critical times.”

The plane carrying the French official to Beirut had brought “12 tonnes of medicines and medical supplies in response to emergencies and general medical needs, particularly pediatric care.”

The embassy said that the relief operation was carried out in cooperation with the EU.

During his meeting with Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi, Barrot focused on the “importance of electing a president as a foundation and priority, while emphasizing the need for stopping the war.”

Walid Ghayyad, the media official at the patriarchate, said that Barrot’s visit was “one of solidarity and reconnaissance, aimed at pushing forward key issues.”

Mikati reiterated during his meeting with Barrot that “the gateway to a solution is stopping the Israeli aggression against Lebanon and returning to the call made by the US and France, with the support of the EU and Arab and foreign countries, for a ceasefire.”

He stressed that “the priority is the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.”

He added: “Once the ceasefire is in effect, we are ready to send the army to the area south of the Litani River to fully carry out its duties in coordination with the international peacekeeping forces in the south.”

Barrot spoke of the “priority of electing a president and working to stop the armed confrontations.”

Barrot announced during his meeting with Health Minister Firass Abiad “the launch of emergency humanitarian aid worth €10 million to support the work of humanitarian organizations on the ground, most notably the Lebanese Red Cross.”

The diplomatic meetings went ahead as the UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan ordered urgent relief aid to the Lebanese people, valued at $100 million, the Emirates News Agency reported.

In the first appearance of a Hezbollah official since the assassination of Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah last Friday, Sheikh Naim Qassem, the group’s deputy secretary-general, said in a televised speech: “We will choose a new secretary-general at the earliest opportunity and we will fill leadership positions.

“The brothers continue their work according to the organized structure, and work with alternative plans for individuals and leaders.

“In Hezbollah’s structure there are deputies for the leaders and backup alternatives ready if a leader in any position is incapacitated.”

Qassem added: “Despite losing several leaders, the attacks on civilians, and the great sacrifices, we will not budge an inch from our positions.

“The Islamic resistance will continue to confront the Israeli enemy in support of Gaza and Palestine and defense of Lebanon and its people.”

Qassem stressed that “Hezbollah remains committed to its struggle, and we are fully prepared for a ground engagement and to enter this battle, and we will emerge victorious from it.”

His defiant stance came as Israel killed the leader of Hamas in Lebanon, Fateh Sherif Abu Al-Amin, inside the El Buss camp in the city of Tyre.

His wife, Umayya Ibrahim Abdel Hamid, his son Amin and his daughter Wafaa were also killed in the airstrike that targeted his residence.

Hamas said Abu Al-Amin was “a member of the Hamas leadership abroad.”

An attack on Palestinian leaders in Lebanon occurred at dawn when an Israeli drone targeted a residential apartment in the Cola area of central Beirut, which is close to the Palestinian camps in the city.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said that three of its members were killed in the attack, which claimed four lives in total and injured four others, according to the Ministry of Health.

The killing of dozens of civilians has also continued in the face of Israeli airstrikes targeting residential buildings.

Additionally, bombing took place targeting Hezbollah’s supply routes in the high Lebanese mountains, particularly those connecting the Bekaa to other regions. The road to Ainata-Al Ariz was also bombed for the first time.

Five members of the Civil Defense in the Islamic Health Organization, affiliated with Hezbollah, were killed early on Monday in an airstrike targeting their facilities in the town of Sohmor in the Western Bekaa region.

The death toll from an airstrike on a residential building in the town of Ain Al-Dalab, east of the city of Sidon, has risen to 45 with 70 others reported injured, according to the Ministry of Health.

Three people were killed in another raid on Monday on the outskirts of Bnaafoul in the Sidon district.

Further raids on towns in Tyre district resulted in one death and several injuries.

In the Hermel area of the Bekaa two missiles struck residential buildings, resulting in the deaths of 12 people and 20 members of the Hassan Al-Jawhari family receiving injuries.

The Israeli army also carried out a raid on the Syrian Jdeidet Yabous border crossing with Lebanon, targeting a group transporting Hezbollah members across the border, which led to the killing of the group’s transportation official and his driver.

In retaliation, Hezbollah said it bombed the Naoura base with a salvo of Fadi-2 missiles.

 


UN peacekeepers in Lebanon ‘not able’ to patrol: UN spokesman

UN peacekeepers in Lebanon ‘not able’ to patrol: UN spokesman
Updated 54 min 30 sec ago
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UN peacekeepers in Lebanon ‘not able’ to patrol: UN spokesman

UN peacekeepers in Lebanon ‘not able’ to patrol: UN spokesman
  • Stephane Dujarric: ‘Given the intensity of the rockets going back and forth, they are not able to do patrolling’
  • Dujarric: ‘We have a contingency plan and we’re looking at the situation hour by hour’

UNITED NATIONS, UNITED STATES: United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon have been unable to conduct patrols because of the intensity of Israeli strikes and Hezbollah’s rockets targeting Israel, a UN spokesman said Monday.
With more than 10,000 personnel, the peacekeeping force has been stationed in Lebanon since 1978, with its role strengthened after a 33-day conflict between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.
“Our UNIFIL Blue Helmets remain in position in the mission’s area of responsibility, while the intensity of fighting is preventing their movements and ability to undertake their mandated tasks,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told a media briefing.
“Given the intensity of the rockets going back and forth, they are not able to do patrolling,” he added.
Even before the dramatic escalation in fighting seen in recent weeks, several Blue Helmets had been wounded in the crossfire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement.
The peacekeepers mission, under Security Council Resolution 1701, is to “control the area” and help the Lebanese government and armed forces establish control south of the Litani River, which is around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border with Israel.
The resolution ended a war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.
It called for all armed personnel to pull back north of the Litani, except for Lebanese state security forces and United Nations peacekeepers.
While Hezbollah has not had a visible military presence in the border area since then, the group still holds sway over large parts of the south.
Dujarric said the peacekeepers “are able to observe what they can from where they are but they are not doing any road patrols,” adding that some civilian staff “have been moved north” as a precaution.
“We have a contingency plan and we’re looking at the situation hour by hour,” he added.