https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-25/uncief-warns-of-gaza-water-crisis-children-dying-of-thirst/105460354
The screams of injured children who can no longer access painkillers fill the air in Gaza, where UNICEF spokesperson James Elder says "daily atrocities" are not only being committed but have escalated in the past fortnight.
Mr Elder told 7.30 Gaza is facing multiple crises, even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his nation will continue its war there until the nation's objectives are completed.
Mr Elder says water is now scarce, may run out in just a fortnight and could result in children dying of thirst.
Children in Gaza though are already dying, with a May UNICEF report stating 50,000 children had been injured or killed since Israel's response to Hamas's October 7, 2023 terror attack.
The UNICEF spokesperson recounted the story of one child who had died after sustaining injuries near an aid site.
"I went to a hospital and I met a little 13-year-old boy, he'd been given money just to go and buy bread for his family," Mr Elder recounted.
"He saw a flood of people going to one of these [aid] sites and thought 'my goodness, my family, I can end my mum's starvation pain'.
"A tank shell exploded and ripped through his stomach.
"When I met this little boy, he was telling his story and his dad's in tears.
"Finally, after my two weeks in Gaza on my final day, this little guy, Abed Al Rahman, died of those injuries, died trying to get food for his family.
"This is not a one off. This is happening consistently and will continue to because it's a combat site."
'Ludicrous and lethal Catch 22'
The latest such incident allegedly occurred earlier on Wednesday when 19 people were reported to have been killed while trying to access aid in the central Gaza city of Nuseirat.
Mr Elder says these incidents are emblematic of a rapidly worsening situation in Gaza, where aid stations are placed in combat sites, causing those living there to face even more danger as they attempt to procure essentials.
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