UNICEF warns Gaza Strip has been turning into 'graveyard of children'

The United Nations Children's Fund or UNICEF on Tuesday raised the alarm over the rising number of child deaths in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, when Israel-Palestine tensions flared into an armed conflict.

"Gaza has become a graveyard of children," UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told a UN press briefing in Geneva.

Elder reiterated UNICEF's call for an immediate cease-fire and humanitarian access to supplies for the enclave, saying children in Gaza are dying not only due to airstrikes but also because of a lack of needed medical care.

Since last weekend the Israeli army has widened its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip-including houses and hospitals-which has been under relentless airstrikes since the surprise offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

More than 9,800 people have been killed in the Gaza conflict, including 8,306 Palestinians and more than 1,538 Israelis, and also including 3,457 children in Gaza, according to official figures.

An Israeli blockade of the strip has also cut Gaza off from fuel, electricity, and water supplies, and reduced aid deliveries to a small trickle unable to satisfy the needs of the over 2 million Palestinians there.