The U.N. is launching a major aid effort to help tens of thousands of children suffering in the aftermath of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, a top aid official said on Thursday, according to Reuters. "We are scaling up our humanitarian support and looking to expand significantly our psychosocial support. The situation is very dire," Sigrid Kaag, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, told Reuters in Amman. Kaag said children, who form the majority of the 1.5 million Palestinians in 360-sq km (139-sq mile) Gaza Strip, bore the brunt of the three-week onslaught by Israeli troops to counter rocket attacks from the territory. More than 400 children were among the 1,314 Palestinians killed and more than 1,800 children were injured, many suffering amputations or severe burns, the U.N. official said.
