Over a million children in Gaza are in urgent need of mental health support after enduring unimaginable trauma, the UN relief chief has revealed.
An entire generation has been traumatized in Gaza, with one million children requiring mental health and psychosocial support, according to the UN relief chief Tom Fletcher.
“The ceasefire has provided a vital reprieve from relentless hostilities for Palestinians,” Fletcher told the UN Security Council on Thursday during a session on the plights of children in Gaza.
Testifying to what Gaza’s children have endured in the past 15 months, Fletched said “Children have been killed, starved and frozen to death,” adding that they have been “maimed, orphaned, separated from their family.”
17,000 Separated from Families
Conservative estimates indicate that over 17,000 children are without their families in Gaza, Fletcher stressed.
“Some died before their first breath – perishing with their mothers in childbirth. An estimated 150,000 pregnant women and new mothers are in desperate need of health services,” he continued.
“One million children are in need of mental and psychosocial support. A generation has been traumatized.”@UNReliefChief Tom Fletcher addresses the Security Council on the situation of children in the #Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/h8aTjB45Hv
— United Nations Geneva (@UNGeneva) January 24, 2025
“One million children are in need of mental health and psychosocial support for depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, according to UNICEF,” the relief chief stated, adding “A generation has been traumatized.”
He also pointed out that children have lost their schools and their education.
“Those with chronic illnesses have struggled to access the care they need, many unable to do so,” he said.
Ceasefire Must Be ‘Maintained’
Fletcher urged the Security Council “to ensure” that the ceasefire which came into effect on January 19 “is maintained.”
He also called on the Council “to ensure that international law is respected” across the Occupied Palestinian Territory of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The children of Gaza are not collateral damage. They are as deserving as children everywhere of security, education and hope.
My remarks to the UN Security Council today ⬇️
https://t.co/vpiJJGfSFC— Tom Fletcher (@UNReliefChief) January 23, 2025
“Civilians must be protected and their essential needs must be met,” the relief chief noted.
“All hostages must be released. Arbitrarily detained Palestinians must be freed. Detainees must be treated humanely and allowed visits by the ICRC,” he continued, and civilians must be allowed to return safely to their homes.
They must be able to access life-saving aid, he pointed out, including “medical evacuations for the wounded and sick who need it. I urge Member States to take in those patients.”
“We need rapid, unimpeded and safe access for the humanitarian community to be sustained. We can deliver when we are given the chance to do so. UNRWA’s role is fundamental and must remain the backbone of these efforts,” the relief chief emphasized.
‘Not Collateral Damage’
He also called for restrictions on critical humanitarian items to be lifted, “including items considered to be dual use.”
Fletcher also stated that there “must be accountability for atrocities, in accordance with international humanitarian law.”
He urged Member States to ensure that “our humanitarian operations are well-funded.”
UN says over 660,000 Palestinian children are not at school as 88% of all schools in Gaza were destroyed by the Israeli forces. https://t.co/pa9p7zPn6S pic.twitter.com/DfoIZPThCG
— Palestine in the UK (@PalMissionUK) January 24, 2025
“Our 2025 Flash Appeal requires $4.07 billion to meet the needs of 3 million people in Gaza and the West Bank, with nearly 90 per cent of funds for Gaza,” he explained.”
“Mr. President, the children of Gaza are not collateral damage. They are as deserving as children everywhere of security, education and hope,” Fletcher appealed. “They tell us that the world was not there for them throughout this war. We must be there for them now.”
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, at least 47,035 Palestinians have been killed, and 111,091 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.
The toll is expected to rise further, with at least 11,000 people still unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes across Gaza.
West Bank
Fletcher also raised the situation in the occupied West Bank which he said “has witnessed record-high levels of casualties, displacement and access restrictions.”
“Israeli settlers have attacked Palestinian villages, setting homes and properties on fire. Increased movement restrictions are impeding Palestinians’ ability to access basic services and livelihoods,” he stated, adding that mass detentions are taking place across the West Bank.
‘Jenin is Gaza’: Refugees Describe Israel’s Brutal Assault on Their West Bank Camp
“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,” Fletcher emphasized.
This, he said, follows the weeks-long operation by the Palestinian Authority, “during which access restrictions and confrontations with armed Palestinians triggered displacement of some 2,000 families from the camp and claimed numerous lives.”
Orphans and Widows
Meanwhile, a Gaza Health Ministry official has told the Anadolu news agency that more than 38,000 Palestinian children have been orphaned by Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023.
“At least 13,901 women were also widowed by the war,” Zaher Al-Wahidi said.
He emphasized that some 32,151 children lost their fathers, 4,417 lost their mothers, and 1,918 lost both parents.
Yesterday we published a story revealing that more than 20,000 children have been orphaned by Israel’s war against Gaza. New statistics released today indicate the actual number is nearly double, 38,495 orphans. https://t.co/RYFnnaResp Updated story by @Rashaaboujalal1
— jeremy scahill (@jeremyscahill) January 23, 2025
“These figures reflect the extent of the pain that the people of Gaza have suffered, which requires everyone to work urgently to alleviate the suffering of orphans and affected families and rebuild their lives,” he reportedly added.
The first six-week phase of a Gaza ceasefire agreement, aimed at a permanent truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, took effect on January 19. The three-phase ceasefire agreement includes an exchange of detainees between Israel and Hamas as well as sustained calm in the enclave.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
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