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Children in Gaza still suffering after Israel-Palestine conflict, UNICEF warns

The children in Gaza are continuing to suffer both physically and psychologically three months after the cessation of the Israel-Palestine conflict, the UN children's Fund (UNICEF) warned Tuesday.

"It is critical that supplies and materials needed for recovery and rehabilitation are allowed in," said Patricia McPhillips, UNICEF's special representative to the occupied Palestinian territory.

The agency, in a recent news release, said that the fighting took a particularly heavy toll on children's psychological well-being, with a recent UN study reaffirming that mental health, anxiety and stress are the main health problems in Gaza.

It said UNICEF and its partners are boosting psychosocial support to children and young people, providing mine-risk education in schools and communities, supporting remedial education, and organizing vaccination campaigns. It is also focusing on improving skills of health care providers and caregivers to improve maternal, newborn and child health.

The 22-day Israeli offensive on Gaza which broke out last December killed at least 1,300 Palestinians and wounded some 5,300.According to UNICEF, roughly one-third of all casualties were children.

Up till now, there are still 10 percent of Gaza's population remains without electricity and 9 percent with little access to safe water, UNICEF said, adding that primary health clinics in the south are recording significantly higher prevalence of water and sanitation-related infectious diseases, including acute bloody diarrhea, over the same period last year.

In addition, food, fuel and cash are in short supply, and 65 essential drugs were out of stock at Gaza's Central Store, according to the agency.

UNICEF also said that five children have died in unexploded ordnance-related incidents since the end of the conflict and at least 14 were injured in related violence.

A main impediment to recovery efforts continues to be lack of access. An average of 132 trucks entered Gaza daily in March, compared with 475 in May 2007. Among the items that have not been allowed in since the conflict ended are UNICEF educational supplies, including teacher training and early childhood development kits, as well as recreational material including music instruments.

Children have also been affected by internal Palestinian tensions, added UNICEF, noting in particular a dispute since March22 affecting medical referrals for urgent care not available in Gaza.

There have also been reported incidents of children being trained or used by Palestinian militant groups, according to UNICEF, which stressed that children should not be used for political or military purposes.

"Children are the innocent victims of this conflict," McPhillips said. "All parties to the conflicts must put children's interests first."

In a related development, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) announced Monday that it has raised 4.1 million U.S. dollars for the Children of Gaza campaign launched in Syria in January.

The funds will help alleviate the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and address the needs of children in particular.

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