A Palestinian woman holding her children reacts outside a hospital where casualties are brought following Israeli bombardment in Bureij, central Gaza Strip, on Thursday. AFP

Tess Ingram, Communications Specialist at Unicef, warned of the war's repercussions on the physical health, growth, and mental well-being of Gaza's children in the long term.

Ingram, currently in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, stated that Gaza's children are trapped in ongoing conflict and successive shocks without any safe haven to turn to.

She emphasised that the opportunity still exists to avert famine in Gaza if the sector is flooded with aid, but humanitarian access, especially to the north, remains severely restricted.

She witnessed this firsthand when the car she was traveling in with her colleagues came under fire while waiting for permission to deliver aid to the area.

Ingram added, "The situation in Gaza is tragic, especially when you see someone suffering from malnutrition due to food production disruptions and restrictions on aid access to that area. As a result of this situation, children are dying; at least 23 children have lost their lives at Kamal Adwan Hospital."

She stated that the situation in the region necessitates the opening of the crossing for several reasons. Firstly, to increase the volume of aid in general, and secondly, to gain direct access to the north, allowing for faster and widespread assistance to children and families in need of food and nutritional supplies.

Ingram pointed out that the southern part of Gaza is also at risk of famine. However, she believes there is a possibility to prevent such a famine if aid is increasingly allowed to enter the entire region; there is still time to prevent famine in the central and southern parts of the strip.

WAM