Peter Power: Gaza was suffering a humanitarian catastrophe before a bomb was even dropped

A child of 15 in Gaza has already lived through five wars and endured more pain than most of us will in our lifetime, writes Unicef's Peter Power

 An injured Palestinian girl undergoes treatment at a hospital after Israeli attacks. Picture: Getty Images

When I visited Gaza in August, just six weeks before the war, it took my breath away. 

Having spent time working in many of Unicef's programme countries across Africa, South America, and the Middle East, I have witnessed the truly devastating impact of both manmade and climate emergencies on the lives of vulnerable children. The complexity and intensity of need across the Gaza Strip was unlike anything I had ever seen.