Edit  Amal El Lathi

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has confirmed that electricity production in Gaza has declined by about 60%, resulting in hospitals relying heavily on generators to provide basic health-care services, and putting treatment of those infected with COFID-19 at risk.

For their part, United Nations agencies have reiterated their rejection of the Israeli occupation's handling of assistance from United Nations agencies and denial of access to the Gaza Strip, as well as the denial of access to corona vaccines.

The Executive Director of UNICEF, Henrietta Faure, said that about 1 million children in Gaza were suffering from the escalating consequences of the violent conflict and there was no safe place to turn, adding that "lives were lost and families were destroyed." Faure called for "an immediate cessation of hostilities on humanitarian grounds to allow the entry of personnel and essential supplies, including fuel, medical materials, first aid kits and Covid-19 vaccines."

It immediately called for "the establishment of humanitarian corridors so that we can safely deliver these supplies, so that families can be reunited and have access to basic services, and that the sick or wounded can be evacuated."

"These children need a ceasefire now, as well as a long-term political solution to the wider conflict. They deserve much better than this horrible cycle of violence and fear that has gone on for so long.