The situation on the ground in Gaza is “desperate”, from the destruction of infrastructure to people fleeing their homes, according to UNICEF spokesperson James Elder, who visited the enclave.

“Just seeing apartment block after apartment block, destroyed rubble on the ground, concrete, blown-up cars … whether it’s just the look on people’s faces, just the trauma … as if sorrow and sadness have taken root here in Gaza,” he recounted in a video posted on the agency’s website.

“It’s a war zone … You’ve got hundreds of thousands of children who are not in school, who are in very overcrowded camps, who are cold, who do not have enough food, do not have enough water, who are now at risk of a disease outbreak,” Elder added.

Almost 15,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip, including more than 6,000 children.