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The Executive Director of UNICEF, Catherine Russell, has denounced the “unconscionable killing” of children in Gaza, following the deaths of seven minors in an Israeli airstrike on a water distribution center in Deir al-Balah. The attack occurred while families were waiting for vital humanitarian aid, marking the second such incident in less than a week.

On July 10, another Israeli strike killed 15 Palestinians, including nine children and four women, as they queued for food supplies distributed by Project Hope, a UNICEF partner. At least 30 others were injured, 19 of them children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Among the victims was Mohammed, a one-year-old boy whose mother, Donia, was critically wounded and found clutching his tiny shoe. Another survivor, Reema, age 10, witnessed the deaths of multiple children during a separate attack on a nutrition center in the same city.

Russell called the incidents a “cruel reality” for Gaza’s families, emphasizing that no parent should have to face such tragedy. She urged Israel to review its rules of engagement and conduct a thorough, independent investigation, citing violations of international humanitarian law.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels. UNICEF reports that over 5,800 children were diagnosed with malnutrition in June alone, including more than 1,000 with severe acute malnutrition—a figure that has risen for four consecutive months.

The agency warns that 71,000 children and 17,000 mothers will require urgent treatment for acute malnutrition in the coming months. UNICEF’s stocks for preventing malnutrition have run out, and supplies for therapeutic treatment are critically low.

Fuel shortages have further crippled aid delivery, with hospitals, water systems, and bakeries on the brink of collapse. UN agencies warn that without consistent fuel access, lifesaving operations will cease, exposing 2.1 million people to deadly disease outbreaks and starvation.

UNICEF and WFP have called for an immediate ceasefire, the unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid, and the protection of civilians, especially children. “Hunger and acute malnutrition are a daily reality for children across the Gaza Strip,” Russell stated. “We have repeatedly warned of this trajectory and call again on all parties to prevent a catastrophe”.

San Salvador, Jul 16 (Prensa Latina) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) proposed to the government of El Salvador a tax increase in some items if it does not meet the collection goals agreed within the loan of 1,400 million dollars.

Local media such as the newspaper El Mundo reported today that the lending agency recommends a higher tax rate on cigarettes and alcoholic beverages, as well as vehicle registration and VAT on digital services.

These actions were agreed upon in lengthy negotiations that state that if the country does not collect enough money in the midst of a fiscal adjustment to correct distortions in the public accounts, there will be penalties, especially affecting social sectors.

El Mundo pointed out in its approach to the subject that in the final report of the first review of the Extended Service Program (ESF), published on Tuesday, the IMF highlighted that the fulfillment of the fiscal goals in the 2025 fiscal year is essential, but, if tax revenues are not enough, it offered a battery of tax proposals.

The range of proposals includes the introduction of a tourist entrance fee for non-residents of 20 dollars, as well as increasing the excise tax levied on cigarettes and alcoholic beverages.

In the face of a government that experts label as a spendthrift, the program with the IMF contemplates a fiscal adjustment of 3.5 points of the gross domestic product (GDP) during three years, starting in 2025 through measures such as elimination of wage fat and reduction of current spending, according to the online publication.

“The authorities agreed to continue to exercise tight control over public spending to meet primary balance targets for the remainder of the year to safeguard credibility, rebuild fiscal and external buffers, and put public debt on a steadily declining path,” the IMF said in the report.