Two children killed in the Gaza Strip

Statement attributable to Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa

09 February 2019

AMMAN, 9 February 2019- “UNICEF is deeply saddened by the killing of two children, aged 13 and 17 years old, shot yesterday in the Gaza Strip. The exact circumstances of their death are under verification. This brings the number of Palestinian children killed this year to four. 

"This is another stark reminder of the significant violence that children in the State of Palestine continue to endure. As we mark 30 years since the Convention on the Rights of the Child, it is essential that the fundamental rights of children be respected.

"It is time that violence against children ends. For years, children in the State of Palestine and Israel have suffered not only physically but have also borne the brunt emotionally. 

"Children are children. They must be protected at all times. Children should never be a target. Nor should they be exposed to any form of violence, by any party."

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