Gaza: The collapse of the healthcare system poses a grave threat to the lives of children in Gaza. The average daily number of children martyred since Oct. 7, 2023, stands at 27, said Kazim Abu Khalaf, spokesperson for UNICEF in Palestine.

According to Qatar News Agency, in a press statement on Wednesday, Abu Khalaf added that children are facing formidable challenges due to the ongoing war, emphasizing that no other place in the world records such a high number of child casualties on a daily basis.

When the number of injured is factored in, the daily average of child victims rises to 83 children killed or wounded over the course of twenty months. Children are the hardest hit by the famine ravaging the Strip, as tens of thousands have been registered as requiring treatment for severe acute malnutrition, Abu Khalaf noted.

Abu Khalaf highlighted that preliminary statistics indicate that more than 40,000 children have been rendered orphans, with the figure likely to increase.

He affirmed that children in Gaza will require years of recovery, not merely from physical injuries but from the immense psychological and neurological pressure they have been subjected to.