New York, June 25 (Petra) The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, on Wednesday warned the international community against standing idle in the face of escalating harm to children, particularly in the Gaza Strip.

In a briefing to the UN Security Council on the Secretary-General’s annual report on children and armed conflict, Gamba said the scale of destruction and suffering endured by children in Gaza "defies every humanitarian standard," emphasizing that "there is no justification for depriving children of their right to a dignified life including access to food, healthcare, and safety."

She called on Israel to allow the swift and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in need across Gaza.

Gamba noted that the highest numbers of grave violations against children in 2023 were documented in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Nigeria, and Haiti.

//Petra// AF

25/06/2025 22:42:08