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Ongoing airstrikes in Gaza have resulted in the tragic loss of over 2,000 children's lives.
In the past 17 days, the loss of life among children in Gaza has been devastating. Over 2,000 children have tragically lost their lives, while an additional 27 children were killed in the West Bank. The continuous airstrikes have left countless buildings in Gaza reduced to rubble, including homes, playgrounds, schools, hospitals, churches, and mosques. The Ministry of Health reports that at least 4,600 children have been injured, some with severe burns, amputations, and other horrific blast injuries, without access to adequate medical care. The destruction of health infrastructure and the shortage of medical supplies have forced doctors to make difficult choices, such as performing surgeries on hospital floors without anesthesia, severely impacting their ability to treat patients with life-altering injuries.
The densely populated urban environment of the Gaza Strip has made children particularly vulnerable to the indiscriminate airstrikes. With over 1 million children trapped in the conflict zone, they have no safe place to seek refuge and no route to safety.
Jason Lee, Save the Children’s Country Director for the occupied Palestinian territory, highlights the alarming civilian death toll caused by the active conflict, especially the relentless airstrikes. Children are especially susceptible to the impact of explosive weapons, as their bodies are thrown further and harder by the blasts. Their bones are more prone to bending, increasing the likelihood of long-term deformities with limited chances of recovery. Due to collapsing health systems and a shortage of trained surgeons, children are unlikely to receive the specialized medical care they desperately need. The lack of essential resources like medicines, electricity, and clean water in hospitals further hampers their ability to function properly.
As the death toll continues to rise, children are at great risk and living in fear. Every major escalation of the conflict has resulted in the loss and injury of children, not to mention the long-term mental health impacts they endure.
Source: Save the Children
At least 100,000 children affected by Morocco earthquake
11 September 2023 – Initial reports indicate that approximately 100,000 children have been impacted by the powerful earthquake that struck Morocco late on Friday night – the strongest seismic event to hit the Kingdom since 1960. Like all major earthquakes, aftershocks are likely to continue in the days and weeks ahead, putting children and families at further risk.
The magnitude-6.8 quake struck just after 11 pm on 8 September, at a time when most children and families will have been at home asleep. The United Nations estimates that more than 300,000 people have been affected in Marrakesh and in the High Atlas Mountains.
According to authorities, more than 2,600 people have been killed, including children, with thousands more injured. These numbers are only likely to increase. While UNICEF doesn’t yet know the exact number of children killed and injured, the latest estimates from 2022 indicate that children represent almost a third of the population in Morocco.
Thousands of homes have been destroyed, displacing families, and exposing them to the elements at a time of year when temperatures drop down during the nighttime. Schools, hospitals and other medical and educational facilities have been damaged or destroyed by the quakes, further impacting children.
UNICEF has provided support to the children of Morocco since 1957, opening a country office in 1978 and has already mobilized humanitarian staff to support the immediate response on the ground, which is being led by the Kingdom of Morocco. In close coordination with the authorities and UN partners, UNICEF is ready to further support the humanitarian response as necessary to reach children and families affected with critical supplies and services.
Source: Unicef
Mortar Warhead Explosion in Afghanistan Kills Three Children
Local authorities confirmed on Tuesday the death of three children in Samangan province in northern Afghanistan from the explosion of a mortar head left over from the war.
The children (two boys and a girl) died on the spot while playing in Jangal village in Dara-e-Suf Payan district on Monday. They mistook an explosive remnant of war for a toy, district director Mawlawi Shamsullah Shamshad has said.
According to the official, two other children (boys) were injured when the mortar shell exploded. All the children involved in the tragic incident were under the age of 10.
Last week, on July 12, two children were killed in a similar incident in Achin district in eastern Nangarhar province.
Local media reported that earlier this month, at least three children were killed, and three others injured when a mine exploded in Afghanistan’s Faryab province in the Khwaja Sabz Posh region.
Afghan people are regularly exposed to fatal or serious injury from landmines or other unexploded weapons that have not been fully cleared after four decades of conflict. Children are particularly vulnerable to these dangers, and the number of casualties continues to rise.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, between January 2022 and June 2023, a total of 640 children were killed or injured in Afghanistan due to the explosion of mines and explosive materials left over from the war.
Japan Donates $30 Million To Support Children In Afghanistan.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced that Japan has donated $30.5 to support children's education, health, and nutrition in Afghanistan and Myanmar.
Karin Hulshof – Deputy Executive Director Partnerships of UNICEF on Tuesday said on Twitter regarding the $30.5 assistance from Japan, and Tokyo's continuous support for vulnerable children in Afghanistan and Myanmar.
Ms. Hulshof further added that universal health coverage will provide every child in the rejoin and beyond so that no child experiences health insecurity among other issues.
Prior to this, the government of Japan had donated more than $106 million as part of humanitarian projects and to meet the necessary requirements of the people of Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Japan's Embassy in Kabul said that Tokyo has donated $335 to Afghanistan since the Islamic Emirate seized power in August 2021.
The United Nations had described Afghanistan as the worst place for children in its earlier reports – adding that more than 14 million Afghan children were in desperate need of humanitarian aid in the war-torn country in 2022.
Furthermore, clean water, food, shelter, healthcare services, and mental health therapy is an essential need for children who have been affected by elements of economic instability, hunger, and poverty.
Japan remains a friendly country and has ejected millions of dollars to support children's education, health, and other developmental programs in Afghanistan over the past two decades. Tokyo reopened its embassy in Kabul months after the Taliban overtook Kabul, and continued delivering life-saving humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan during these difficult times.
In the meantime, Japan maintains close ties with the Afghan interim government and has repeatedly called on Afghanistan's de facto authorities to lift the gender-based restrictions barring women and girls from education and word.Source – Khama Press
housands of homes have
been destroyed by the powerful earthquakes that hit Türkiye and Syria on
Monday, displacing children and their families and exposing them to
harsh weather.
This was the most powerful earthquake to hit the
region in almost 100 years and came at the worst possible time for
vulnerable children and families in the affected areas.
Photo by Save The Children
Freezing temperatures and damaged roads and airports are making it difficult for aid agencies to reach thousands of children and their families in desperate need of assistance following Monday’s devastating earthquakes, said Save the Children.
About 6,300 people are estimated to have died in southern Turkiye and northwestern Syria and many thousands are injured with the numbers continuing to rise. People arestill trapped in the rubble after earthquakes, with the first of 7.8 magnitude striking near Gaziantep in the early hours of Monday while people were asleep.
Save the Children has launched a humanitarian response to help people in the affected regions, as survivors desperately need assistance such as shelter, blankets, food and medical treatment. About 23 million people, including about 1.4 million children could be impacted by the earthquakes, according to the World Health Organization.
In Türkiye about 5,775 buildings collapsed in 10 cities, according to the latest figures. The disaster triggered many emergencies regarding access to heating, electricity, aid, clean water and communication services, and has left children terrified.
Source – Save The Children
Photo by Save the Children
With heart-breaking images of children being pulled from the rubble in Türkiye and Syria after the devastating earthquakes, Save the Children said the window to get shelter, medical supplies, water and food to the worst affected areas in order to save lives is rapidly closing.
The death toll from Monday’s two earthquakes has now surpassed 11,000 across both countries, with many thousands more injured and the numbers continuing to rise. The first 72 hours following a natural disaster are critical. Time is running out to rescue survivors, particularly children who are most vulnerable to the freezing temperatures.
The earthquakes are estimated to have impacted about 23 million people, many of whom are children. Survivors in Türkiye and Syria urgently need humanitarian aid such as food, shelter, blankets, and clean water. Sanitation in temporary shelters is also a growing priority, as without running water and latrines, waterborne diseases will quickly spread, which are particularly deadly to children.
Children are also at risk of being separated from their families, which puts them at risk of exploitation and abuse. Keeping families together in such crises is critical to their safety, protection, and wellbeing.
Save the Children will on Thursday be providing much needed hot meals for around 500 people taking shelter in sports centres being used as temporary shelters across various points in Hatay, Türkiye. With support from its partners, Save the Children delivered 1,500 ready-to-eat meals for families in Northwest Syria today, where the levels of support for affected people remain a far cry from what is needed.
Source: Save The Children