oPt: “I try to clean her wounds but my daughter screams in agony:” Dire conditions trap children in Gaza in an endless cycle of suffering

Country: occupied Palestinian territory Source: UN Children's Fund This is a summary of what was said by UNICEF Communication Specialist Salim Oweis - to whom quoted text may be attributed - at today’s press briefing at the Palais de Nations in Geneva GAZA/GENEVA, 29 May 2026 – “Failure to meet children’s basic needs in Gaza is trapping them in an endless cycle of suffering. “The experiences of the desperate parents I met this past week can illustrate this better than I could: “Hind hasn’t slept since her four-year-old daughter, Masa, was bitten by a rat during the night. “Like many families, they sheltered wherever they could – in their case, the second floor of a building block where sewage water leaks through the ceilings, and rodents crawl through the cracks in the building and climb the exposed pipes. “Amani’s daughter, Lemar, she’s 7, has developed deep lesions and sores on her head, back and legs due to a bacterial infection. Amani tries to clean her wounds each day with the little, hard-to-get, clean water she has, as her daughter screams in agony. “Abdallah’s mother told me that he has developed a skin infection as they live in a tent next to sand contaminated with faeces. His mother has spoken to doctors and desperately needs the medication and enough clean water and hygiene products to help him heal and protect him from exposure to more infections. “Abdel Aleem said that his 8 months old son, Ahmad, and his pregnant sister-in-law were both bitten a couple of weeks ago. They have layered sandbags around the outside of the tent to try to protect themselves, but the rats simply chew through it – stopping them is futile. “The common thread running through every one of these conversations is the sheer heartbreak of parents who no longer feel able to do the thing most innate to them – protect their childr...

Original source: Relief Web