The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said that the lives of children in the Middle East are being destroyed by ongoing conflicts.

This came in a statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, today, Sunday, regarding the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, published on the UN organization's website.

She stressed the need for all parties to commit to protecting civilians, especially children, humanitarian workers, schools and health facilities.

The UN official stressed the need for all parties to allow unrestricted access to life-saving aid.

She said these commitments were “flagrantly ignored” in the region, and that “children do not start wars and do not have the power to end them, but their lives are being destroyed by conflicts.”

"Tens of thousands of children have been killed, and thousands are still in captivity, displaced, orphaned, out of school, and traumatized by violence and war," she continued.

UNICEF Executive Director called for an end to violence against children.