In a statement, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stressed that the work of the organization and its partners requires fuel to transport essential supplies and workers to help families, regretting that Israeli operations in the Rafah area, in the south of the Gaza Strip, and the closure of the crossings to the enclave threaten to paralyze humanitarian efforts and lead to loss of life.

"I urgently call on the relevant authorities to provide humanitarian actors with actionable measures and concrete assurances to facilitate the safe movement of humanitarian supplies, through all channels, into the Gaza Strip," said the official.

Russell noted that essential and functional infrastructure in the Gaza Strip depends on fuel, including hospitals and water purification, sewage and waste collection systems, describing the situation as "desperate".

"If the Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings are not reopened for fuel and humanitarian supplies, the consequences will be felt almost immediately: life-support services for premature babies will shut down, families and children will become dehydrated or drink unsafe water, sewage systems will overflow and spread more diseases," she warned.

The UNICEF director also expressed concern about the displacement of civilians to "unsafe" areas, stating that at least 80,000 people have fled eastern Rafah due to evacuation orders, seeking refuge in Al-Mawasi, a narrow coastal area without basic infrastructure, and in the ruins of the city of Khan Yunis.

"For months, we have been warning that a military escalation in Rafah would lead to further human suffering. And now we are seeing it in real time. Gaza's children have suffered terribly in this war," Russell said, pointing to the number of children killed at 14,000 in the last seven months of hostilities between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, according to data from the local Ministry of Health.

Another 17,000 children have been left alone, thousands are injured, exhausted or sick, and virtually all have been exposed to traumatic war experiences that will affect them for life, she added.

"I implore the parties to the conflict to immediately cease hostilities, protect children and civilian infrastructure, release the remaining hostages and give humanitarian actors the space and access they need," concludes the note from the UNICEF official.

The humanitarian aid access crossings in the southern Gaza Strip have been closed in recent days, as Israel prepares for an already announced ground military offensive against Hamas in the Rafah area.

Most of the international community, including the United States, have called on Israel to suspend its military plans, given the serious humanitarian situation in the territory since the beginning of the war.

The current conflict was triggered by a Hamas attack on October 7, which caused almost 1,200 deaths, with Israel responding with an offensive that caused more than 34,000 deaths in the Gaza Strip, according to reports from both sides.

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