WHO warns Gaza’s children face long road to recovery despite fragile calm

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Thursday that children in Gaza will need far longer to recover from the trauma of two years of violence, despite the temporary calm brought by the current ceasefire.

Marking World Children's Day, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the pause in fighting has offered "moments of quiet" for children who have endured bombardment, displacement, and loss.

"The fragile ceasefire has given children a chance to breathe, connect, play and even start to heal," Ghebreyesus said on US social media company X.

"But trauma, injury, grief, and shattered childhoods will take far longer to heal," he said.

He stressed that emotional and physical wounds remain severe even as hostilities subside, noting that the damage to Gaza's health system continues to hinder recovery.

Ghebreyesus said WHO teams are "on the ground supporting the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the health system" and are expanding mental health services for children, many of whom have witnessed repeated cycles of conflict.

On World Children's Day, he urged full respect for the ceasefire and called for efforts that lead to "lasting peace" to ensure the safety and well-being of Gaza's youngest generation.