UN: 1 million children in Gaza need psycho-social support

GAZA, Jan. 24 (YPA) – At least one million children in Gaza urgently need mental health and psycho-social support for depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, the UN relief chief said Thursday.

“The ceasefire has provided a vital reprieve from relentless hostilities for Palestinians,” Tom Fletcher told a Security Council session on the plight of children in Gaza.

He stressed the importance of maintaining the ceasefire by all sides and added that “safe, unobstructed humanitarian access alongside the absence of hostilities and the almost complete cessation of criminal looting over the past days have significantly improved our ability to operate.”

Describing the grave impact of the conflict, Fletcher said: “Children have been killed, starved and frozen to death. They have been maimed, orphaned or separated from their family. Conservative estimates indicate that over 17,000 children are without their families in Gaza.”

Noting that an estimated 150,000 pregnant women and new mothers are “in desperate need of health services,” he said some of the babies in Gaza “died before their first breath – perishing with their mothers in childbirth” due to Israel’s relentless attacks.

“One million children are in need of mental health and psycho-social support for depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts,” he said, citing the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Fletcher urged the international community to act.

@E.Y.M