Project Syndicate: The Tragedy of Gaza’s Children
Kevin Watkins, CEO of Save the Children U.K.

“…The increasingly dire situation in Gaza — especially for children — is one of the world’s least reported humanitarian emergencies. … Basic services are disintegrating as fast as the economy. The health care system is collapsing, with providers lacking basic equipment and essential medicines, including antibiotics. … Children … and their mothers are bearing the brunt of the crisis. … [A]llowing Gaza to slide into a full-fledged humanitarian catastrophe would be an indefensible dereliction of responsibility by the international community. … Preventing such a disaster will require urgent action. Aid donors must commit to fully funding the U.N.’s humanitarian appeal, along with UNRWA’s 2019 budget. The malnutrition crisis, neglected for too long, demands a decisive response … If there is a glimmer of hope, perhaps it can be found by cutting through the tired, polarized debate on Gaza and asking a simple question: does anyone believe that children … should be pushed to the brink of starvation by a crisis they played no part in creating? For the sake of all Gaza’s children, I hope not” (8/8).