UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS FROM UNICEF SPOKESPERSON
By Beyza Binnur Donmez
GENEVA (AA) - Six Palestinian children have died from hypothermia in Gaza this winter, a UNICEF spokesperson said Tuesday.
"We've had children die of hypothermia again in the last few days. So, we've now gone to six children who died of hypothermia just in this winter," James Elder told journalists in Geneva via video link from Gaza.
Elder said more than 100 children have been killed since the ceasefire took effect in October last year.
"That's roughly a girl or a boy killed here every day during a ceasefire," he said, adding that "life in Gaza remains suffocating" and that "survival remains conditional."
According to UNICEF, confirmed figures show "60 boys and 40 girls killed in the Gaza Strip," though Elder stressed that "the actual number of Palestinian children killed is expected to be higher," as the tally only reflects cases where sufficient details were available.
He said most of the deaths since the ceasefire took effect were caused by military action. "These children are killed from airstrikes, drone strikes, including suicide drones. They're killed from tank shelling. They're killed from live ammunition," he said.
The spokesperson said that while the ceasefire has enabled some humanitarian gains, including expanded health, nutrition, water and sanitation services, conditions for children remain dire.
"A ceasefire that slows the bombs is progress, but one that still buries children is not enough," he said.
He called for full enforcement of the ceasefire, humanitarian access and accountability, urging for "real safety" for Gaza’s children.
- Most basic supplies for education still restricted
As some children begin returning to makeshift tent schools, Elder said severe restrictions remain on even the most basic education and recreation supplies needed for learning and psychological recovery.
"So, the most basic school supplies remain restricted. And I'm talking pencils, pens and notebooks, and that goes as well for kids’ recreation," he said. "We're talking about the most essential, critical materials for children to start to recover from trauma."
Elder said trauma counselors working with children rely mainly on basic breathing exercises and drawing to help them cope, but even those tools are unavailable.
He described seeing children reuse the same piece of paper repeatedly because they lack access to paper, crayons and other simple materials. He said restrictions continue to block both recreational kits used for trauma recovery and basic education supplies, despite repeated requests.
"We keep pushing the denials keep coming," he said.