Gaza: The head of UNICEF, Catherine Russell, has strongly condemned the killing of 45 children in Israeli air strikes over just two days in Gaza, saying the world’s response has been marked more by “indifference” than by the shock such a tragedy demands.
In a searing message shared on social media, Russell said the international community should be “shocked” by the scale of child casualties but instead seems to be watching with muted reaction. “More than 1 million children in Gaza are at risk of starvation. They are deprived of food, water and medicine,” she wrote. “Nowhere is safe for children in Gaza.”
Her remarks come amid growing global outrage over the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Palestinian enclave, where repeated Israeli airstrikes, siege conditions, and displacement have devastated civilian infrastructure and left children particularly vulnerable.
UNICEF has warned that the death toll among children is rising daily, not just from bombs but from starvation, disease, and the collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system. Russell’s words — “This horror must stop” — are a direct appeal to world leaders to prioritize the lives of children above geopolitical and military agendas.
While various nations have voiced concern, UNICEF’s assessment highlights a disturbing trend: the normalization of violence against children in conflict zones and the lack of effective international response mechanisms to prevent or halt such atrocities.
