At least 1 million children in Gaza urgently need mental health and psycho-social support for depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, the U.N. relief chief said Thursday.
"The cease-fire has provided a vital reprieve from relentless hostilities for Palestinians," Tom Fletcher told a U.N. Security Council session on the plight of children in Gaza.
He stressed the importance of maintaining the cease-fire by all sides and added that, "Safe, unobstructed humanitarian access alongside the absence of hostilities and the almost complete cessation of criminal looting over the past days have significantly improved our ability to operate."
Describing the grave impact of the conflict, Fletcher said: "Children have been killed, starved and frozen to death. They have been maimed, orphaned or separated from their family. Conservative estimates indicate that over 17,000 children are without their families in Gaza."
Noting that an estimated 150,000 pregnant women and new mothers are "in desperate need of health services," he said some of the babies in Gaza "died before their first breath – perishing with their mothers in childbirth" due to Israel's relentless attacks.
"One million children are in need of mental health and psycho-social support for depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts,” he said, citing UNICEF.
Fletcher urged the international community to act.
"Across the spectrum, humanitarian organizations and agencies have united to meet our humanitarian goals. At the center of this, as always, is UNRWA. But we cannot do this alone.”
He emphasized that "surging high volumes of aid” needed to get into Gaza and said the U.N.'s 2025 Flash Appeal requests $4.07 billion to address the needs of 3 million people in Gaza and the West Bank, with the majority allocated for Gaza.
"Funding this appeal is essential to meet massive needs and to sustain the cease-fire," Fletcher added.
Fletcher further reported "record-high levels of casualties, displacement and access restrictions" in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
"These trends have intensified since the announcement of the cease-fire. Israeli settlers have attacked Palestinian villages, setting homes and properties on fire," he said.
Noting an increase in impediments to Palestinians’ access to basic necessities by Israel, he also said that "mass detentions are taking place across the West Bank.”
"Of particular concern is the situation in Jenin, where an Israeli military operation - helicopter gunfire and airstrikes alongside ground forces – has claimed lives and caused further destruction of basic infrastructure and displacement," he said.
Fletcher urged the council to "ensure that international law is respected across the occupied Palestinian territory of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Civilians must be protected and their essential needs met."
