Current Events > UNICEF: Nearly all 600K children in Rafah injured, sick malnourished or disabled

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.commondreams.org/news/unicef-gaza

The war has already taken "an unimaginable toll," and a major military operation against the crowded southern Gaza city "would bring catastrophe on top of catastrophe for children," Russell [executive director of UNICEF] warned. "Nearly all of the some 600,000 children now crammed into Rafah are either injured, sick, malnourished, traumatized, or living with disabilities."

Many have been displaced multiple times and lost homes, parents, and loved ones," the UNICEF chief noted. "There is nowhere safe to go in Gaza. Homes throughout the Gaza Strip lie in ruin. Roads are destroyed and the ground littered with unexploded ordnances."

"Rafah is also the main hub for the humanitarian response, which includes UNICEF, and the city has some of the last functioning healthcare facilities," she explained.

Israeli forces launched at least 435 attacks on health facilities or personnel during the first six months of the war, and just 10 of the enclave's 36 hospitals remain partially functional, according to the World Health Organization. As Common DreamsreportedWednesday, thousands of Palestinian child amputees are struggling to recover due to the destruction of Gaza's healthcare system.

"UNICEF continues to call for the protection of all women and children in Rafah and throughout the Gaza Stripand the protection of the infrastructure, services, and humanitarian aid they rely on," said Russell. "We repeat our calls for the unconditional release of all hostages in Gaza who need to be home with their children and families. The violence must end."

"Rafah will implode if it is targeted militarily," Elder [UNICEF spokesperson] stressed. "Water is in desperately short supply, not just for drinking but sanitation. In Rafah there is approximately one toilet for every 850 people. The situation is four times worse for showers. That is, around one shower for every 3,500 people. Try to imagine, as a teenage girl, or elderly man, or pregnant woman, queueing for an entire day just to have a shower."

Meanwhile,
https://www.npr.org/2024/04/30/1248276817/israel-invade-gaza-rafah-hostage-deal-netanyahu

TEL AVIV, Israel Israel will invade Rafah "with or without a deal" to release the remaining hostages held captive in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Tuesday.

"The idea that we will halt the war before achieving all of its goals is out of the question. We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there with or without a deal in order to achieve the total victory," Netanyahu said, according to a statement released by his office.

It's almost like the hostages were never the point.

Perfect time for Benjamin Netanyahu to invade and crush his enemies. They can't fight back if they are too starved to survive.

Oh wait, we're not supposed to kill children? That's a little more difficult then. I'm sure he'll figure out a just way to be able to exercise his war without killing more children.

There needs to be direct foreign intervention against Israel at this point. They're not going to stop with Palestine.

FaultyCircuitry posted...

There needs to be direct foreign intervention against Israel at this point. They're not going to stop with Palestine.

No government is going to interfere on behalf of brown people

FaultyCircuitry posted...

There needs to be direct foreign intervention against Israel at this point. They're not going to stop with Palestine.

What makes you think that?

There really does need to be a peace keeping force sent to Gaza. Get the Saudis in to run the place imo. Theyve had decent progress in building relations with Israel in recent years and that would be a great show of faith from KSA and theyll deal with Hamas as appropriate.

Alucard188 posted...

Perfect time for Benjamin Netanyahu to invade and crush his enemies. They can't fight back if they are too starved to survive.

Oh wait, we're not supposed to kill children? That's a little more difficult then. I'm sure he'll figure out a just way to be able to exercise his war without killing more children.

Remember, Israel believes that once the kids turn 4, they start hating Israel and they are just a few years away from joining Hamas.

Foppe posted...

Remember, Israel believes that once the kids turn 4, they start hating Israel and they are just a few years away from joining Hamas.

Wasn't there a Republican who said something like "Even the kids are terrorists" or something to that effect?

and the US is literally going to sanction the UN to enable this

Strider102 posted...

Wasn't there a Republican who said something like "Even the kids are terrorists" or something to that effect?

I dont know the color, but yes.

Foppe posted...

Remember, Israel believes that once the kids turn 4, they start hating Israel and they are just a few years away from joining Hamas.

Ah, a preemptive strike then. Perfectly sound military tactic. Kill them before they have a chance to grow up and hate you. Very wise decision, great military tactician Benjamin Netanyahu.

Shouldn't have to specify, but I'm taking the absolute piss out of this.

justaguy3492 posted...

What makes you think that?

They're seeing the responses from around the world to their genocidal actions. They'll go after any country that could potentially have claims of supporting Hamas.

Strider102 posted...

Wasn't there a Republican who said something like "Even the kids are terrorists" or something to that effect?

...They are literally trained in school on how to be terrorists, yes. They are taught in class how to make and use explosives, wield and transport weapons, and explicitly told they should kill Jews. The indoctrination starts in kindergarten. There are recordings of kindergarteners practicing mock military operations and hostage-taking. That is the kind of world that Gaza is. The median age there is about 18 years old, and about 40% of the population is 14 or younger.

It's absolutely awful and completely unfair to judge the kids for this, but this is the explanation of why a soldier can look at a child there and fear for their life or question if the object they are holding is a bomb.

Again, proving the average person on this board has had their head in the sand for the last 30 years when it comes to this region.

the_rowan posted...

...They are literally trained in school on how to be terrorists, yes. They are taught in class how to make and use explosives, wield and transport weapons, and explicitly told they should kill Jews. The indoctrination starts in kindergarten. There are recordings of kindergarteners practicing mock military operations and hostage-taking. That is the kind of world that Gaza is. The median age there is about 18 years old, and about 40% of the population is 14 or younger.

Again, proving the average person on this board has had their head in the sand for the last 30 years when it comes to this region.

So what's your point?

Because right now it sounds like you're agreeing with the Israeli government and its collection of chud politician employees.

Not a great place to be, honestly.

Genocide Joe truly living up to his namehttps://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/8/8244e910.jpg

the_rowan posted...

It's absolutely awful and completely unfair to judge the kids for this, but

Perfect cherry on top of the neocon fever dream happening in this post.

https://www.unicef.org/sop/what-we-do/education-and-adolescents

Palestinians have real education programs. Can you find evidence of Hamas indoctrination? Sure, and I know there were reports the past couple of years criticizing the PA for some of its recent textbooks and they should be held accountable for that. As far as videos, as I was searching for it the primary source of allegations seemed to be the IDF, who has of course established itself as having no credibility when it comes to claims about Palestinian children.

"That is the kind of world Gaza is" makes it out like Gaza followed the law of the jungle before the invasion as if it didn't have a dozen universities and impressive overall education attainment compared to the world and in light of the challenges it faces. The idea that you can go to Rafah and point at a random Palestinian child and say that's a Hamas sleeper cel who practices hostage taking during class honestly verges into being just racist.

FaultyCircuitry posted...

They're seeing the responses from around the world to their genocidal actions. They'll go after any country that could potentially have claims of supporting Hamas.

They already tried with Iran and they werent having it.

DarthAragorn posted...

No government is going to interfere on behalf of brown people

This no country did anything to stop China from genociding the Uiygurs

the_rowan posted...

But there is no good solution to the crisis. Israel had not been in Gaza for 20 years before October, and all that happened from it was a chance to entrench tunnels and launch rockets, infesting schools, hospitals, and apartments with threats to their civilians.

Israel spent those years literally facilitating payments to Hamas and promoting their survival in order to delegitimize Palestinian statehood. You try to paint it as if this threat has emerged against Israel despite its best good faith efforts, when in fact Israel made sure Hamas had the money and longevity to be a threat in the first place.

The Hamas tunnel claims have continuously been proven to be outrageously overstated by Israeli officials who have gone so far as to say every second home and building is part of a grand underground society.

You say you disavow everything Israel is doing but then insist "there's no good solution", as if to say that Israel's solution is as (not) good as any. But it's not, it's internationally condemned for obvious reasons, and the idea Israel has exhausted alternative options to razing Gaza to the ground is nakedly dishonest.

the_rowan posted...

I am really, really sick and tired of this board, and all these kids across the US who did not listen to year after year of news of suicide bombings, car bombings, busses being blown up, coming out of Israel every week or so in the early 2000s, just now entering this situation and placing all the blame on Israel, a nation that has literally had every single culture around it trying to kill everyone in it since before it even existed, and not acknowledging how they cannot just sit there and do nothing and everything will be OK because it's all their fault somehow

Yes, yes, you put all the blame on Hamas while ignoring what Israel did during the same years, it is not a black and white picture.

the_rowan posted...

What the actual fuck is wrong with you?

Damn, didn't expect it go go over that well.

Consider asking yourself that question.

Yet to some people a broken window on some campus is more important than this.

DrizztLink posted...

Damn, didn't expect it go go over that well.

Consider asking yourself that question.

He's suspended.

Trumble posted...

He's suspended.

Then he'll have time to ask.

This isnt a surprise when theyve been talking about starvation for months now! And many Israelites are right outside the gates trying to stop aid from entering and even trying to destroy it.

But it isnt a genocide if theyre not killed guns isnt it?

Trumble posted...

He's suspended.

Who could have possibly foreseen this development?

An account with 7.3K karma and hundreds of active posts. What a shame