UNICEF: 310 Deaths Including 97 Children in Middle East Violence

Published December 1st, 2000 - 02:00 GMT
Al Bawaba
Al Bawaba

Some 310 people have been killed in the clashes between Israelis and Palestinians including 97 children aged 18 or under who were all Palestinian, the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, said on Friday. 

Spokeswoman Lynn Geldof said 9,802 Palestinians had been injured in the violence from the end of September until November 30, of which an estimated 4,116 were children. 

Of the 310 deaths, 261 were Palestinian, 35 were Israeli Jews, 13 Israeli Arabs and one German, she said. 

Four-hundred-and-twenty-six Israelis have been hurt, 184 of them adult civilians and four were children. 

The figures are based on information provided by the Palestinian Red Cross, a Palestinian non-governmental organization Defense for Children and United Nations coordinating agencies, Geldof said. 

UNICEF and the Palestinian authorities have agreed to set up a program for monitoring the impact of the two month crisis in the region on children, Geldof said.  

The UN agency has already started working with the Palestinian media to try to counter the level of violence being broadcast in news coverage which the UN body said was "indeed high". 

Steps include developing 12 television spots to address signs of psychological distress among children and recommend simple actions that parents can take. 

These could include turning off the television when images are violent, Geldof told a news conference. 

Under UNICEF programs in force since the end of September, some 400 teachers in the most affected and isolated schools are being trained in first aid and evacuation, while 200 social workers are receiving in-depth, three-month training. 

UNICEF has also helped in the development of alternative community-based education programs in the area of the West Bank town of Hebron, targeting 20,000 students -- GENEVA (AFP)  

 

 

© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)

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