Palestinian and Israeli children must be kept safe during Gaza pull-out – UN

With Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and parts of the northern West Bank set to begin early next week, the head of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today urged that all children be kept out of harm's way during the exercise.

"Palestinian and Israeli children have suffered terribly over recent years as a result of this conflict," UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman said, noting that between September 2000 and July 31, 2005, 829 children under the age of 18 have been killed in the conflict.

"Next week's events offer new hope for peace, and…keeping all children safe should be priority number one," Ms. Veneman said, stressing that children under 18 make up about half of the Palestinian population in Gaza and that there are also hundreds of children among the Israeli settlers.

UNICEF has pre-positioned emergency supplies to take care of the potential health, education, water and sanitation needs of children and women. It has also supported additional training for emergency health workers and ensured increased availability of psychological assistance for children.

Ms. Veneman said that the agency has been working with communities, schools and the local media to educate children on how to protect themselves from the dangers of unexploded ordnance in areas being vacated.