Children In Rafah Unable To Evacuate Safely

Israeli airstrikes in Rafah kill 22, including 18 children

Children in Rafah unable to evacuate safely

UNICEF official says reality for children in Rafah is shocking

By The Associated Press RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli airstrikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight killed 22 people, including 18 children, according to Palestinian officials. The strikes came as the Israeli military pressed its offensive against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. The fighting has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, and displaced more than 200,000 people. In a tent yards from a cemetery, Rehab Abu Daqqa tries to shield her seven children from Rafah's horrors. "The reality for kids living there is shocking, honestly," said an official with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Abdul Majeed was supposed to travel accompanied by his 21-year-old brother Osama for urgent lung surgery, but then came news of the airstrikes. "We couldn't leave the house," said Osama. "We were trapped." The airstrikes have made it impossible for many children in Rafah to evacuate safely. "They are terrified," said the UNICEF official. "They don't know where to go or how to get out."