By : JD News Editor
Jordan Daily – UNICEF welcomed Friday’s ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, calling it a vital step toward relief for Palestinian children after two years of war that left tens of thousands dead, injured or displaced.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said the agency has more than 1,300 trucks ready to deliver tents, medical supplies, food, vaccines and water to the enclave, where essential services have collapsed. “All parties must ensure that UN humanitarian operations can immediately and safely resume at scale,” she said in a statement.
Russell urged both sides to respect and sustain the ceasefire and to release all hostages held in Gaza “in a safe and dignified manner.”
According to UNICEF, over 64,000 children have been reported killed or injured since fighting began, while famine has been declared in parts of Gaza. The entire under-five population — some 320,000 children — is at risk of acute malnutrition, and more than 56,000 have lost one or both parents.
“The ceasefire must allow humanitarian actors to safely deliver the massive response that is so desperately needed,” Russell said, calling for all crossings into Gaza to be opened to facilitate aid and commercial deliveries ahead of winter.
She urged all parties to use the agreement as a chance to secure a lasting political solution that protects both Palestinian and Israeli children.
“The war has already cost children in Gaza so much,” Russell said. “They now deserve a durable and lasting peace so the long recovery process can begin.”
