FILE PHOTO: Palestinian children wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen amid shortages of food supplies, as the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on March 5, 2024. The count of children killed in Gaza in Israel鈥檚 offensive was more than 13,000, according to the United Nations children鈥檚 agency. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem/File Photo
WASHINGTON 鈥� The United Nations children鈥檚 agency said Sunday that more than 13,000 children have been killed in Gaza in Israel鈥檚 offensive, adding many kids were suffering from severe malnutrition and did not 鈥渆ven have the energy to cry.鈥�
鈥淭housands more have been injured or we can鈥檛 even determine where they are. They may be stuck under rubble 鈥� We haven鈥檛 seen that rate of death among children in almost any other conflict in the world,鈥� Unicef Executive Director Catherine Russell told CBS News鈥� 鈥淔ace the Nation鈥� program on Sunday.
鈥淚鈥檝e been in wards of children who are suffering from severe anemia malnutrition, the whole ward is absolutely quiet. Because the children, the babies 鈥� don鈥檛 even have the energy to cry.鈥�
Russell said there were 鈥渧ery great bureaucratic challenges鈥� moving trucks into Gaza for aid and assistance.
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International criticism has mounted on Israel due to the death toll of the war, the starvation crisis in Gaza, and allegations of blocking aid deliveries into the enclave.
A UN expert said earlier this month that Israel was destroying Gaza鈥檚 food system as part of a broader 鈥渟tarvation campaign.鈥� Israel rejected the accusation.
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Israel鈥檚 military assault on Hamas-governed Gaza has displaced nearly its entire 2.3 million-person population, caused a starvation crisis, flattened most of the enclave, and killed over 31,000 people, according to Gaza鈥檚 health ministry. It has also led to accusations of genocide being probed in the World Court.
Israel denies the genocide charges and says it is acting in self defense after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel from Hamas that killed some 1,200, according to Israeli tallies, and took scores of hostages.
One in three children under age 2 in northern Gaza is now acutely malnourished and famine is looming, the main UN agency operating in the Palestinian enclave said on Saturday.