Gaza: After Security Council breakthrough, agencies highlight youngsters’ plight

As UN Secretary-General António Guterres hailed Monday’s Security Council resolution paving the way for a consolidated ceasefire via a temporary International Stabilization Force in Gaza, UN aid teams warned that many Palestinian children in the enclave are in no shape to endure another harsh winter.

“We're very optimistic that the peace plans will improve the situation,” UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson Ricardo Pires said, briefing reporters in Geneva on Tuesday. “But again, the reality for children on the ground continues to be very tragic.”

“We’re still in the hypotheticals,” UN aid coordination office (OCHA) spokesperson Jens Laerke said, regarding the Security Council resolution on the US peace plan, stressing that it “needs some meat on the bones”, but recalling the UN chief’s backing for the development.

The resolution endorsing the “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict” announced by US President Trump on 29 September received backing from 13 countries on the Security Council. China and Russia abstained from the vote.

Catch up on our full coverage of the Security Council resolution here.

A Board of Peace

The resolution welcomes the transitional administration known as the “Board of Peace” - which President Donald Trump will reportedly chair - to establish a temporary international force in Gaza and coordinate reconstruction efforts including the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

In a statement issued by his Spokesperson overnight, the UN Secretary-General encouraged respect for the fragile ceasefire by all parties to the conflict, which was sparked by Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023.

Mr. Guterres acknowledged the “continued diplomatic efforts” of Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, the United States and regional neighbours regarding the Gaza crisis, before stressing the importance of “moving towards” the second phase of the U.S. Plan, “leading to a political process for the achievement of the two-State solution, in line with previous United Nations resolutions”.

Exposed to more hardship

Meanwhile in Gaza, aid agencies stressed on Tuesday that more than two years of destructive war between Hamas fighters and Israel and a chronic lack of all forms of assistance have left the enclave’s people exhausted.

In recent days, heavy rains have inundated worn-out tents that are sheltering people displaced multiple times because of the war, said Ricardo Pires, from the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF.

“We are seeing heartbreaking stories of desperate families feeling completely lost and exhausted after their tents got flooded,” he told journalists in Geneva. “When children are sleeping in flooded tents without warm clothing or dry bedding, many lacking the required nutrition, with very low immunity and already traumatized by conflict, winter becomes extremely dangerous.”

Mr. Pires noted that the recent bad weather in Gaza has sparked an increase in people seeking medical help – particularly among children weakened by “years of malnutrition, starvation, trauma (and) multiple displacements”.

The UNICEF officer also explained that because Israeli forces occupy more than 50 per cent of the enclave, many of the areas where Palestinians have been forced to seek shelter are coastal and the most prone to flooding.

Zikim aid boost

In a call for greater aid access, he stressed this was “part of the [peace] deal and we need to see more humanitarian corridors open”.

According to OCHA, more than 5,400 metric tonnes of aid were collected between Thursday and Sunday, including shelter, medical and food items. The Zikim border crossing has reopened after staying shut for two months, bringing the number of available crossings to three.

Mr. Pires highlighted the importance of Zikim opening and said that recently UNICEF managed to bring in 96 pallets of high energy biscuits destined for the famine-stricken north of Gaza.

“We need more, a lot more,” he said. “Hopefully with the new plan, that will become a reality for children and families.”