[child-rights] UNICEF calls for the protection of children in Rafah

UNICEF Press release

JERUSALEM, 19 May 2004 ­ UNICEF said today it is deeply concerned about
the impact on children of the ongoing military operation in the Gaza
Strip, particularly a missile strike Wednesday that claimed the lives of
at least 10 Palestinians, many of them children.

"Palestinian children have a right to be protected against all acts of
violence in the midst of the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict," said
David S. Bassiouni, UNICEF Special Representative in Jerusalem.  "They
have a right to a safe shelter, safe access to their schools and to health
services," he said.

With the recent military actions in Rafah ­ and Wednesday's missile strike
­ at least 10 children have already lost their lives, including Asma and
Ahmed, a 16 and 13-year-old girl and boy, respectively, shot in their home
in Rafah on Tuesday morning. Many additional children have been injured
and all are facing psychosocial distress.

The ongoing house demolitions in Rafah have left more 1,100 Palestinian
people homeless in a 10 day period alone, out of which almost 600 are
children. Between September 2000 and May 2004, more than 11,000
Palestinians have lost their homes.

UNICEF, jointly with other UN agencies, is assessing the impact of house
demolitions on children and will support efforts to help restore normalcy
to children's lives.

Since the start of the conflict, Israeli and Palestinian children have
paid a very heavy price, UNICEF said.  Over 660 children under age 18 have
been killed, of which 560 were Palestinian and 104 were Israeli ­
including four Israeli sisters killed by militants in an attack in the
Gaza Strip on May 2.

"UNICEF calls on the State of Israel to abide by its obligations to the
Convention on the Rights of the Child by protecting children from direct
exposure to violence, and providing those who have lost their homes with
alternative housing," Bassiouni said. "The injudicious use of force where
children are present can only bring about the deaths of innocent
youngsters.  We urge the Israeli authorities to reconsider the impact
these incursions are having on Palestinian children."

For further information, please contact:

Michael Bociurkiw
Communications Officer
UNICEF Jerusalem
Tel: +972-2-583-0013/4 (ext 242)
Fax: +1-416-352-5068
Mobile: +972-577-293214 / +972-59674385
Email: mbociurkiw@unicef.org

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