to report «iusnews»; Israeli attacks have killed a Palestinian child every 10 minutes on average over the past month in Gaza, the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said on Monday.
"On average, a child is killed and 2 are injured every 10 minutes during the war," the UNRWA said in a statement published on X, Anadolu news agency reported.
"Protecting civilians in times of conflict is not an aspiration or an ideal; it is an obligation and a commitment to our shared humanity," it added.
Tamara Alrifa, a spokesperson for UNRWA said at least 70% of Gaza's more than 2 million people are now displaced with most living in appalling conditions at United Nations shelters, adding, "1.5 million people who moved there were forcibly displaced."
"So, we're talking about 70% of people who are displaced away from their homes," she said.
In a statement Monday, the agency described the conditions in the overcrowded UNRWA installations that are sheltering 717,000 internally displaced Gazans. It said the situation at the shelters is "inhumane" and deteriorating and warned of a risk of a public health crisis due to the damage to the water and sanitation infrastructure.
""UNRWA shelters have reported thousands of cases of acute respiratory, skin infections, diarrhea, and chicken pox," the statement said."
The UN agency said the decomposition of bodies under collapsed buildings amid limited rescue efforts also continues to raise humanitarian and environmental concerns.
Israel has launched air and ground raids on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Palestinian resistance group Hamas on October 7.
Israeli bombardments in the Gaza Strip have killed at least 10,022 Palestinians, including 4,104 children and 2,641 women. The Israeli death toll is nearly 1,600, according to official figures.
Besides the large number of casualties and massive displacements due to the Israeli siege of the region, basic supplies are also running low for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.
