STEPHANIE MATT GUTMAN FOR
US THERE IN ISRAEL, THANK YOU.
>> WITH US NOW IS UNICEF
SPOKESPERSON JOE ENGLISH.
JOE, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME
TONIGHT.
UNICEF COURSE IS THE UN AGENCY
WORKING DESPERATELY IN GAZA
TO SUPPLY THOSE NEED WITH FOOD,
WATER AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES.
JOE, AS OUR CORRESPONDENT IN
ISRAEL, MATT GUTMAN, JUST
REPORTED, AID DISTRIBUTION
REMAINS A CHALLENGE.
WHAT OBSTACLES IS UNICEF
RUNNING INTO?
>> YEAH, IT COULD BE REALLY
SUFFERING.
I MEAN, I THINK AT ANY POINT
WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE
HOW OF DELIVERING AID, I THINK,
FIRST OF ALL, WE NEED TO REMIND
OURSELVES WHY CHILDREN
ARE REPORTEDLY STARVING
TO DEATH IN GAZA?
THEY ARE WASTING AWAY BEFORE
THEIR WHOLE SIZE BECAUSE OF A
LACK OF NUTRITION AND A LACK
OF CLEAN WATER.
>> NOW, THIS SHOULDN'T
BE HAPPENING ANYWHERE IN
THE WORLD.
IT CERTAINLY SHOULDN'T
BE HAPPENING.
YOU KNOW, IN SOME PLACES
LESS THAN 15, 20 MILES FROM
SOMEWHERE WHERE HUMANITARIAN
ASSISTANCE IS THERE, READY,
WAITING.
WE HAVE SEE AN END TO THE
FIGHTING.
WE HAVE TO THE RELEASE OF THE
HOSTAGES AND WE HAVE TO
BE ALLOWED TO GET IN AND DO
OUR JOB AS WE DO IN A COMPLEX
ALL AROUND THE WORLD.
WE KNOW HOW TO DO THIS.
WE KNOW HOW TO SAVE LIVES.
WE HAVE TO BE ALLOWED TO.
IT REALLY IS SO AWFUL
THAT THESE CHILDREN HAVE TO
SUFFER IN THIS WAY.
LET'S SAY YOU ARE ABLE TO GET
AID WHERE IT NEEDS TO GO.
HOW HARD HAS IT BEEN
TO DISTRIBUTE IT ONCE
IT'S THERE?
>> IT HAS BEEN INCREDIBLY
DIFFICULT TO DISTRIBUTE.
I MEAN, ONE OF THE REASONS
AND MANY OF US HAVE SEEN
THE IMAGES OF FAMILIES WHO ARE
,YOU KNOW, BESIDES BESIDE
THEMSELVES WITH DESPERATION.
AND PART OF THE REASON IS THAT
THE THE ANCIENT GREEKS
THAT HAVE GONE IN HAVE BEEN
SPORADIC.
THEY'VE BEEN WHERE THEY HAVEN'T
BEEN CONSISTENT.
AND THAT'S WHY WE JUST GO BACK.
WE CALL FOR CONTINUED REGULAR
ACCESS BECAUSE FAMILIES NEED
TO BE CONFIDENT THAT THE
DELIVERY THAT COME IN THAT
IS COMING TODAY WILL NOT BE THE
ONLY DELIVERY IN A COUPLE
OF WEEKS.
THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET
IN TODAY AND TOMORROW AND THE
DAY AFTER.
AND THE SIMPLE EFFECTIVE IS TO
ROAD ACCESS.
>> THE SITUATION IS CERTAINLY
WORSE THAN IN OPERATING SUCH
DANGEROUS.
YOU, OF COURSE, HAVE TO
PRIORITIZE.
WHAT ARE UNICEF'S
TOP PRIORITIES NOW?
>> RIGHT NOW IT HAS TO BE.
IT HAS BE NUTRITION SUPPLIES
FOR CHILDREN ENOUGH TO BE
SAFE DRINKING WATER.
YOU KNOW, WE PROVIDING FAMILIES
WITH THE ABSOLUTE ESSENTIALS
OF LIFE.
YOU KNOW, AND WHEN I SPEAK
TO MY COLLEAGUES AND WHEN WE
SPEAK TO PARENTS, YOU KNOW,
THAT IS THEIR ONLY PRIORITY
AT THE MOMENT IS WAKING UP EACH
DAY ENSURING THAT THAT CHILD
IS STILL ALIVE WHEN.
>> THEY GO TO BED.
ABSOLUTELY.
AND SEEING THEIR FACE AS WE'VE
SEEN SOME OF THE IMAGES OF THE
CHILDREN THAT ARE GOING THROUGH
THROUGH THIS,
IT'S HEARTBREAKING TO SEE THEM
GOING THROUGH THIS.
AN ESTIMATED 17,000 CHILDREN
HAVE LOST ONE OR BOTH PARENTS
IN GAZA.
HOW DOES THAT ALONE COMPLICATE
GETTING AID, GETTING ASSISTANCE
TO THEM?
YOU YOU KNOW, IT REALLY DOES.
YOU KNOW, BUT AS I SAY, WE WORK
IN CONFLICTS ALL AROUND
THE WORLD.
THERE IN SYRIA, I THINK
13 YEARS OF CONFLICT NOW
IN ALMOST NINE YEARS.
AND WE WORK WITH CHILDREN
WHO ARE UNACCOMPANIED OR
SEPARATED.
WE WORK WITH CHILDREN
WHO HAVE LOST BOTH OF THEIR
PARENTS.
AND WE KNOW, YOU KNOW, TO LOVE
AND AFFECTION AND CARE
AND SERVICES AND ALL OF THESE
THINGS THAT ANY PARENT, ANY
KIND OF, YOU KNOW, WANTS
AND HOPES FOR THEIR CHILD
THAT WE CAN HELP THEM IN TO
REBUILD THE PIECES OF THEIR
SHATTERED LIVES.
BUT THAT HAS TO START WITH AN
END, THE FIGHTING.
>> YOU MENTIONED SYRIA.
THEY'VE BEEN IN CONFLICT FOR
13 YEARS.
AND WE KNOW THAT UNICEF
ATTEMPTS TO HELP SUFFERING
CHILDREN IN PLACES LIKE SYRIA,
SOMALIA, SOUTH SUDAN.
ARE THE CHILDREN OF GAZA FACING
A SITUATION JUST AS BAD
THEY ARE?
YOU KNOW, I THINK I TAKE IT
BACK TO TO INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
THINK OF AN INDIVIDUAL CHILD.
YOU KNOW, I THINK IF AN
INDIVIDUAL PARENT WHO IS WAKING
UP, YOU KNOW, WITH THE THINGS
THAT WE ARE SEEING RIGHT NOW
ON, THE SCREEN AND IMAGINE
TRYING TO PROTECT YOUR CHILD
FROM THAT, TRYING EXPLAIN
YOUR TO YOUR CHILD WHAT IS
GOING ON.
I THINK ANY OF US CAN TRULY
COMPREHEND THAT.
YOU KNOW AND THE LEVELS
OF STARVATION WITHIN THE LEVELS
OF MALNUTRITION THAT WE
ARE SEEING, I MEAN, KNOW HOW TO
TREAT CHILDREN LIKE THIS.
WE HAVE THE TOOLS AT,
OUR DISPOSAL.
WE JUST HAVE TO BE ABLE
TO REACH THEM.
WE CANNOT SAY HAD ENOUGH.
AND IF A CEASE CEASEFIRE CAN
BE NEGOTIATED AND OF COURSE,
IT'S A BIG IF RIGHT NOW,
HOW LONG DOES UNICEF SEE ITSELF
WORKING IN GAZA?
HOW MUCH LONGER CAN
YOU CONTINUE THERE?
WE WILL NOT STOP.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE BEEN IN GAZA
FOR MANY, MANY, MANY DECADES
AND WE WILL BE THERE DURING
THE FIGHTING.
WE WILL BE THAT ONCE AGAIN.
FINALLY, THANKFULLY
CALLED SILENT AND WE WILL BE
THERE TO SUPPORT THIS
GENERATION OF CHILDREN.
YOU KNOW, MANY OF US WHO ARE
IN YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT
THEIR FIRST TIME OF GREAT
DIFFICULTY.
YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A
GENERATION OF CHILDREN
WITH PSYCHOSOCIAL SCARS,
WILL NEED DEDICATED SERVICES
AND SUPPORT TO BEGIN TO TO
BEGIN TO BE ABLE TO REBUILD
THEIR LIVES, THEIR COMMUNITIES
AND THEIR COUNTRY.
AND UNICEF WILL BE THAT EVERY
STEP OF THE WAY.
>> IT'S AN ABSOLUTELY
HEARTBREAKING SITUATION.
AND SO THANKFUL THAT UNICEF
AND YOURSELF ARE PUTTING
THE WORK IN AND NOT GIVING UP.
REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME
TONIGHT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING
ABOUT YOUR EFFORTS, THE WORK
THAT YOU'RE DOING IN SO MANY
DIFFERENT NATIONS.
UNICEF