GENEVA: The UN warned Friday that all Gaza鈥檚 approximately 1 million children were facing 鈥渕assive trauma鈥� as fighting in the war-ravaged territory resumed and amid dire aid shortages.
Humanitarians described an alarming situation in Gaza amid a growing civilian death toll since Israel resumed aerial bombardment and ground operations this week after a six-week ceasefire.
Sam Rose, the senior deputy field director in Gaza for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, highlighted the psychological shock for already traumatized children to once again find themselves beneath the bombs.
This is a 鈥渕assive, massive trauma for the 1 million children鈥� living in the Palestinian territory, he told reporters in Geneva, speaking from Gaza.
The breakdown of the ceasefire that took effect on Jan. 19 comes as the population is already dramatically weakened from 15 months of brutal war sparked by Hamas鈥檚 deadly Oct, 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
鈥淚t鈥檚 worse this time,鈥� Rose warned, 鈥渂ecause people are already exhausted, they鈥檙e already degraded, their immune systems, their mental health, (and) population鈥檚 on the verge of famine.
鈥淐hildren who had returned to school after 18 months out of school, now back in tents, ... hearing the bombardment around them constantly.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fear on top of fear, cruelty on top of cruelty, and tragedy on top of tragedy.鈥�
James Elder, a spokesman for the UN children鈥檚 agency UNICEF, said traumatized children usually only start to process their trauma when they begin returning to normalcy.
鈥淧sychologists would say our absolute nightmare is that they return home and then it starts again,鈥� he told reporters.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the terrain that we鈥檝e now entered,鈥� he said, warning that Gaza was the only 鈥渆xample in modern history in terms of an entire child population needing mental health support.鈥�
鈥淭hat鈥檚 no exaggeration.鈥�
Gaza鈥檚 civil defense agency said 504 people had been killed since Tuesday, including more than 190 under the age of 18.
The toll is among the highest since the war started more than 17 months ago with Hamas鈥檚 attack on Israel.
It has also been a deadly period for humanitarians, with seven UNRWA staff killed just since the ceasefire broke down, bringing the total number killed from that agency alone to 284 since the Gaza war began.
A Bulgarian worker with another UN agency was also killed this week, as was a local staff member of Doctors Without Borders, the medical charity said Friday.
Humanitarians warned the situation on the ground has been made worse by Israel鈥檚 decision earlier this month to cut off aid and electricity to Gaza over the deadlock in negotiations to prolong the ceasefire.
鈥淲e were able to bring in more supplies during the six weeks of the ceasefire than ... in the previous six months,鈥� Rose said, warning though that that progress was 鈥渂eing reversed.鈥�
He said there was only enough flour in Gaza for another six days.
Asked about Israel鈥檚 charge that Hamas has diverted more than sufficient aid inside Gaza, Rose said he had 鈥渘ot seen any evidence鈥� of that.
鈥淭here is no aid being distributed right now, so there is nothing to steal.鈥�
He warned, though, that if aid is not restored, 鈥渨e will see a gradual slide back into what we saw in the worst days of the conflict in terms of looting ... and desperate conditions among the population.鈥�
Meanwhile, Elder described the vital aid items that aid agencies could not bring into Gaza.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got 180,000 doses of vaccines a few kilometers away that are life-saving and are blocked,鈥� he said.
He also pointed to a 鈥渕assive shortage鈥� of incubators in Gaza even as pre-term births were surging.
鈥淲e have dozens of them, again sitting across the border,鈥� he said. 鈥淏locked ventilators for babies.鈥�