There were a number of uh very loud
blasts to the east of us here where by
the coast, but we know that the military
escalation is happening further east uh
on the other side of Gaza City and it
was audible and visible this morning. A
number of of very intense uh
bombardments and and that was true of
last night as well. So, it's it's fair
to say that um family civilians continue
to be at risk here. Um, as what we know,
you know, in the middle of the night,
often these indiscriminate bombardments
hit people as they sleep in in their
places of refuge.
>> And Tess, if this offensive continues,
um, what will it mean for ordinary
people, for families trying to feed
their children?
>> I think it's important for us to
remember that we're talking about an
offensive in a place that a group of
international experts just classified
famine. Uh, and I yesterday I was
talking to to children um about what
that means for them. And a a little boy
uh whose name was Obida, he's 14 years
old. He told me that he's constantly
fainting uh in the heat of the day
because he only eats one small bowl a
day of rice or lentils. And he said
that's not enough for me at 14. Um and
and you know he's one of the older
children that's that's managing a little
bit better than some of the younger
children I've met who are so severely
malnourished that the condition is
life-threatening. So we you know this
offensive really puts those children at
risks as well as other children who are
facing traumatic uh war injuries in
hospitals uh pre-term babies in
incubators in neonatal intensive care
units uh children with disabilities.
We're gravely concerned about how these
children will be able to evacuate if at
all.
How are UNICEF managing aid in Gaza
City? Considering the risks, considering
the restrictions,
it's very difficult for us at the moment
to not only get aid into the Gaza Strip,
but then to get it to the people that
need it uh wherever they are, including
here in Gaza City and further north. Uh
we have to coordinate our our movements
to bring supplies from the south to the
north. Most of our aid comes through in
the very southern crossing called KM
Shalom. Uh where we then have to get
permission to collect that aid,
permission again to leave down a
designated route. We have to safely
navigate that route. Uh which of course
we know is challenging at the moment
with desperate crowds of people and
criminal gangs looting aid. We have to
then get the aid to our warehouse, get
permission to bring it up to the north
and then get it to families that need
it. In saying that, despite all the
challenges, we are doing it. And we have
nutrition supplies up here that we are
distributing. I'm going today to a
number of nutrition sites where we're
going to be giving those treatments to
malnourished children. Uh, and I've seen
the difference it can make. It can save
kids lives if only we can get it to
them. And that's the biggest challenge
right now.
>> You're speaking to us from inside Gaza
City. What's the one thing you want
people from around the world to
understand what life is like there?
>> Every second person here is a child. So
if we're talking about an escalation of
the military offensive in Gaza City, it
affects almost 1 million people, every
second of which is a child. And I think
that's incredibly important for us to
remember at the moment. And then on top
of that, let's remember those children
have endured almost two years of war.
They're living through a famine. They're
malnourished. They're hungry. They're
exhausted. And they're traumatized. So
again, the best medicine for this for
this famine uh is a ceasefire. And
that's what we need to see with urgency
now more than ever