Thank you so much for this question.
As you rightly said, and in following the news, unfortunately, the situation happening in Gaza right now is appalling, in terms of loss of life and impact on the well-being of thousands of people over there, including children and children with disabilities. From our work in Palestine, as defined before the crisis.... Unfortunately, children and adults with disabilities are usually the most impacted, whether by the onset of the crisis we are facing now.... As you can see, people are requested to move around. They are being evacuated or forced into situations where, in many cases, basic human needs aren't met. For children and adults with disabilities, of course, this massively impacts their access to health and basic services. Without these, their lives are under threat.
When it comes to looking beyond this overwhelming situation, in this context, we, as a fund, are already starting to think about what can be done to ensure the basic services provided to those populations are inclusive, in terms of the rights and needs of persons with disabilities, including children.
When it comes to education, we have witnessed in the past in the UN action collectively.... When there is the rebuilding of schools, for example it needs to be attentive to ensuring those school environments are inclusive for children with disabilities. When it comes to health systems and rehabilitation, we know—and as you rightly said—many children, unfortunately, lost their lives. Many are now ending up with permanent disabilities that will impact their functionality, well-being and access to education.
The whole system around health, rehabilitation and assistive technoloy is essential. At this moment, it's about thinking things through to ensure that children, when ready to go back to school, are able to access the support services they need. We are hopeful that, once the moment is there for us to intervene, we will be able to respond and act.
Unfortunately, our hands are tied right now, because the situation is quite complex. However, we are starting discussions to see what we can do once things are ready, in order to re-establish a supportive system and environment for all kids and adults with disabilities.