Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on a deadly weekend of attacks in North Gaza

NEW YORK (November 2, 2024) - "This has already been a deadly weekend of attacks in North Gaza. In the past 48 hours alone, over 50 children have reportedly been killed in Jabalia, where strikes leveled two residential buildings sheltering hundreds of people.

"And this morning, the personal vehicle of a UNICEF staff member working on the polio vaccination campaign came under fire by what we believe to be a quadcopter while driving through Jabalia - Elnazla. The car was damaged. Fortunately, the staff member was not injured. But she has been left deeply shaken.

"Meanwhile, at least three children were reportedly injured by another attack in the proximity of a vaccination clinic in Sheikh Radwan, while a polio vaccination campaign was underway.

"The attacks on Jabalia, the vaccination clinic and the UNICEF staff member are yet further examples of the grave consequences of the indiscriminate strikes on civilians in the Gaza strip.

"Taken alongside the horrific level of child deaths in North Gaza from other attacks, these most recent events combine to write yet another dark chapter in one of the darkest periods of this terrible war.

"Civilians and civilian structures, including residential buildings, as well as humanitarian workers and their vehicles, must always be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law. Displacement or evacuation orders do not permit any party to the conflict to regard all individuals or objects in an area as military targets; nor do they exempt them from their obligations to distinguish between military and civilian objectives, be proportional and take all feasible precautions in attacks.

"Yet these principles are being flaunted over and over again, leaving tens of thousands of children killed, injured, and deprived of essential services needed for survival.

"Attacks on civilians, including humanitarian workers, and what remains of Gaza's civilian facilities and infrastructure must stop. The entire Palestinian population in North Gaza, especially children, is at imminent risk of dying from disease, famine, and the ongoing bombardments.

"UNICEF is asking Israel for an immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attack on its staff member, and that actions to be taken to hold accountable those found responsible.

"UNICEF also calls on member states to use their influence to ensure respect for international law, prioritizing the protection of children. It is beyond time to end this war."

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Notes for editors:

Multimedia materials available here: https://weshare.unicef.org/Package/2AM4080FDL1J

About UNICEF
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to pursue a more equitable world for every child. UNICEF has helped save more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization, by providing health care and immunizations, safe water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more.

UNICEF USA advances the global mission of UNICEF by rallying the American public to support the world's most vulnerable children. Together, we are working toward a world that upholds the rights of all children and helps every child thrive. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.

For more information please contact:
Jenna Buraczenski, UNICEF USA, (917) 720-1432, [email protected]

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