NEW YORK, USA, 17 March 2009
– The recent Gaza conflict left about 1,000 Palestinian civilians dead and many more injured. Children, who make up more than half of Gaza's population, have born the brunt of the conflict and
its aftermath. Approximately a third of those killed or injured were children, and many others lost caregivers and siblings. The violence ended on 18 January. Since then, children and
their families have suffered from shortages of food, shelter and basic commodities – and from the widespread destruction of homes, schools, health facilities, shops, mosques and play areas.A difficult environment"The physical environment in Gaza is unbearable in so many different respects," says John Ging, head of the United Nations
Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip since 2006. Mr. Ging points out the effect of "shortages of very basic supplies – and then, of course, the psychological effects in
terms of there being no perspectives for kids growing up. They are living in a very oppressive, depressing and difficult environment. "So when they look and try to contemplate their
future, their experience is not giving them any basis of hope," he adds. "It's devastating, it's unbearable and, sadly, it's getting worse."Schools as
sheltersSir John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, recently visited Gaza and was shocked to see a school being used as a
shelter. He also observed the tragedy of what children who were sheltered in that school depicted when they were given paper and pencils to draw. "They were drawing rockets and bombs and
tanks and all that," he says. "Which is no doubt a necessary part of their cathartic experience, but it is also depressing to see that's what children are drawing and are obsessed
by."Dr. Eyad Rajab El Sarraj is an internationally recognized Palestinian psychiatrist, researcher and human rights advocate from Gaza whose work documenting the effects of war and
violence on children there is well known. "Layer after layer of trauma has left indefinite damage on the psyche of the children," says Dr. El Sarraj, "to the extent that from
one generation to the other, we grow up to become more violent and more desperate."Discussion on impact of the crisisThe impact of this crisis on
schools, students and education personnel is substantial. How do children in Gaza see their futures? What kind of challenges do the crisis in Gaza pose for agencies trying to deliver humanitarian
relief and safety to the civilian population – and to children in particular? What needs to happen in order to open up the gates into the Gaza Strip and get assistance to the civilian population
that needs it most?Click here (Real player) to listen to a UNICEF Radio podcast discussion on the crisis in Gaza, featuring these
guests: Sir John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator; John Ging, head of the United Nation's Relief and
Works Agency (UNRWA); and Dr. Eyad Rajab El Sarraj, founder and Medical Director of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme.
Children play in a valley near the historical city of Shibam in southeastern Yemen March 17, 2009. A suicide bomber behind the deadly attack that killed four South Korean tourists near ...
