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UN PhotoUNICEF / GAZA CHILDREN 2 YEAR WAR
STORY: UNICEF / GAZA CHILDREN 2 YEAR WAR
TRT: 3:49
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNICEF ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 15 SEPTEMBER 2025, AL-MAWASI, THE GAZA STRIP
1. Wide shot, displaced families with their belongings, some of whom evacuated from northern Gaza, now in the southern area of Al-Mawasi.
2. Med shot, displaced families with their belongings, some of whom evacuated from northern Gaza, now in the southern area of Al-Mawasi.
3. Wide shot, displaced families with their belongings, in the southern area of Al-Mawasi.
4. Wide shot, displaced families with their belongings, in the southern area of Al-Mawasi.
5. Wide shot, displaced families with their belongings, some of whom evacuated from northern Gaza, now in the southern area of Al-Mawasi.
6. Wide shot, displaced families with their belongings, some of whom evacuated from northern Gaza, now in the southern area of Al-Mawasi.
7. Wide shot, displaced mother with her children in the southern area of Al-Mawasi.
8. Med shot, displaced children in the southern area of Al-Mawasi.
9. Med shot, displaced children in the southern area of Al-Mawasi.
10. SOUNDBITE(English) James Elder, UNICEF Spokesperson:
“The situation for mothers and newborns in Gaza has never been worse. In Nasser Hospital, we're seeing hospital corridors lined with women who've just given birth. In my six missions to Gaza, I have never seen it this bad. So you've got new mothers and vulnerable newborns who are lying on the floor, hospital corridors. I sat with three premature babies who were sharing a single oxygen source. They shared 20 minutes each. The other two children cry while the third child gets at oxygen for 20 minutes. A premature baby I met, Nada, who was in intensive care for 21 days, was discharged and now lies on the hospital floor with her mother. Now she weighs two kilograms, less than half of what she should weigh. Women are having miscarriages as they're forced to make this trip from north to south. Doctors fear winter viruses have arrived early. Reports state that a thousand babies have been killed in the last two years in Gaza, one thousand. And we have no idea how many more died from preventable illnesses. Meanwhile, frontline workers, UNICEF, our partners are still doing everything they possibly can supplying ready to use therapeutic food for malnourished babies in Gaza City, repairing water lines, delivering cash assistance, providing trauma support, mental health, waste collection. But until all restrictions are removed on the entry and the safe delivery, safe delivery of humanitarian aid, the provision of life-saving aid will continue to be woefully inadequate.”
11. Wide shot, displaced families with their belongings, some of whom evacuated from northern Gaza, now in the southern area of Al-Mawasi.
12. Wide shot, displaced families carrying their belongings after evacuating northern Gaza, now in Al-Mawasi in the south
13. SOUNDBITE(English) James Elder, UNICEF Spokesperson:
“And yet, somehow today, things are worse than any other time. Everyone bears responsibility for this. But there's only one victim. Yesterday, today, and without meaningful action tomorrow, Palestinian girls and boys.”
14. Wide shot, displaced families with their belongings, some of whom evacuated from northern Gaza, now in the southern area of Al-Mawasi.
15. Wide shot, displaced families with their belongings, some of whom evacuated from northern Gaza, now in the southern area of Al-Mawasi.
16. Med shot, displaced families carrying their belongings after evacuating northern Gaza, now in Al-Mawasi in the south.
17. Med shot, displaced families carrying their belongings after evacuating northern Gaza, now in Al-Mawasi in the south.
18. Wide shot, displaced families carrying their belongings after evacuating northern Gaza, now in Al-Mawasi in the south.
19. Med shot, Israa, a mother of four, was displaced from northern Gaza and is now in the Al-Mawasi area with her children.
20. Med shot, Israa, a mother of four, was displaced from northern Gaza and is now in the Al-Mawasi area with her children.
21. Med shot, Israa and her family, with their belongings, evacuated from northern Gaza and are now in the southern area of Al-Mawasi.
22. Med shot, Israa and her family, with their belongings, evacuated from northern Gaza and are now in the southern area of Al-Mawasi.
In a Statement issued today (08 Oct), UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said, “For more than 700 days, children in Gaza have been killed, maimed, and displaced in a devastating war that is an affront to our shared humanity. Israeli strikes on Gaza City and other parts of the Gaza Strip continue. The world cannot, and must not, allow this to go on.”
The Executive Director said, “In the last two years, a staggering 64,000 children have reportedly been killed or maimed across the Gaza Strip, including at least 1,000 babies. We don’t know how many more have died due to preventable illnesses or are buried under the rubble.
She also said, “Famine persists in Gaza City and is spreading to the south, where children are already living in dire conditions. The crisis of malnutrition, especially among infants, remains shocking. Months without adequate food have caused lasting harm to children’s growth and development.
“The need for a ceasefire could not be more urgent. Since Saturday morning, at least 14 children have reportedly been killed, as intense bombing and shelling by Israel continue to hit Gaza City and other areas,” Russell added.
She reiterated, “UNICEF welcomes all efforts to end the war and chart a path towards peace in Gaza and the region. Any plan must lead to a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and the safe, rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief - through all available crossings and routes - at the scale desperately needed by all Gazans, especially children.”
The Executive Director said, “International humanitarian law is clear: we call on Israel to ensure the full protection of the lives of all civilians. Denying humanitarian assistance to civilians is unequivocally prohibited. The principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution must guide all military actions and civilians who cannot, do not, or choose not to evacuate combat areas remain civilians and must always be protected.
“Every child killed is an irreplaceable loss. For the sake of all children in Gaza, this war must end now,” Russell said.
Speaking from Gaza, James Elder, UNICEF Spokesperson, said, “The situation for mothers and newborns in Gaza has never been worse.”
He explained, “In Nasser Hospital, we're seeing hospital corridors lined with women who've just given birth.”
Recalling his six missions to Gaza, Elder said, “I have never seen it this bad. So you've got new mothers and vulnerable newborns who are lying on the floor, hospital corridors. I sat with three premature babies who were sharing a single oxygen source. They shared 20 minutes each. The other two children cry while the third child gets at oxygen for 20 minutes.”
Elder continued, “A premature baby I met, Nada, who was in intensive care for 21 days, was discharged and now lies on the hospital floor with her mother. Now she weighs two kilograms, less than half of what she should weigh.”
“Women are having miscarriages as they're forced to make this trip from north to south. Doctors fear winter viruses have arrived early,” he added.
The UNICEF Spokesperson also said, “Reports state that a thousand babies have been killed in the last two years in Gaza, one thousand. And we have no idea how many more died from preventable illnesses. Meanwhile, frontline workers, UNICEF, our partners are still doing everything they possibly can supplying ready to use therapeutic food for malnourished babies in Gaza City, repairing water lines, delivering cash assistance, providing trauma support, mental health, waste collection. But until all restrictions are removed on the entry and the safe delivery, safe delivery of humanitarian aid, the provision of life-saving aid will continue to be woefully inadequate.”
He concluded, “yet, somehow today, things are worse than any other time. Everyone bears responsibility for this. But there's only one victim. Yesterday, today, and without meaningful action tomorrow, Palestinian girls and boys.”
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