Children in Gaza witness 'unspeakable atrocities' amid Israeli war: UN official

Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip have witnessed "unspeakable atrocities" following 300 days of Israeli attacks on the enclave, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Thursday.

"The children of Gaza are going through unspeakable atrocities," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement.

They "are living in trauma and shock due to 300 days of war, displacement, loss and pain."

The UN agency launched a learning program for the traumatized children in the war-torn enclave.

"This first step in a much longer road focuses on activities that will give children a refuge from the horrors they continue to live through," Lazzarini said.

"Through sports, arts, drama, games + creating space to reunite with friends and making new ones, our teachers are providing a ray of light amid the darkness," he added.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Nearly 39,500 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 91,000 injured, according to local health authorities.

Almost 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.