'The early years are meant to be a time of wonder': Queen Rania's plea for children living in conflict zones

Queen Rania has appealed to the global community to stop ignoring the more than 1.1 million children living in Gaza, saying the "the adults of the world are failing the children of Palestine".

The Jordanian royal made the comments while in New York at an event hosted by Save the Children on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly Week.

Queen Rania, whose parents are Palestinian refugees, has been vocal about the suffering of children in conflict zones, using her high-profile to demand change.

READ MORE: James Middleton gives insight into Kate's support during recovery

"The early years are meant to be a time of wonder – of exploration, innocence, and play," the Queen said, pointing to the experience of children in Gaza, who are being forced to take on the responsibilities and burdens of adults.

More than 12,000 of Gaza's 1.1 million children have been killed since the attacks on October 7, 2023, and the assault on Gaza that has followed, according to Save the Children.

The first polio infection in Gaza in decades was confirmed in August after weeks of warnings that the Palestinian territory faced an outbreak of the disease.

A mass vaccination drive was launched by the World Health Organisation to bring in more than a million vaccines to combat the spread of the disease, which can leave children paralysed, after samples had been detected in wastewater.

A 10-month old child had tested positive for the virus after samples were sent to Jordan for analysis. It was the first confirmed case in 25 years.

READ MORE: Prince Harry says his mum Diana would be 'incredibly proud'

Queen Rania called for the protection of children from "the very worst" of humanity, stressing that "a child is a child, and all children deserve to be protected".

She said the sound of a child's cry anywhere would elicit "a visceral reaction" that can "drive every other thought from our minds".

"Yet, as we speak, an entire generation of Palestinian children is crying out to the world, and the adults are choosing to look away," she said.

"More than immoral, it is unnatural.

"The easiest way to justify harming a child is to un-child them: age them up, demonise them, group them together in the tens of thousands, so that they blur together into one faceless mass.

"The bloodshed must end. The bombs must stop falling. Aid access must resume without exception."

In October last year, just weeks after the Hamas attack on Israel, Queen Rania spoke about the humanitarian toll the conflict was having on both sides.

Jordan is one of the Arab countries that recognises Israel, with the two nations signing a peace treaty in 1994 that normalised relations between the neighbours.

"As a mum, we've seen Palestinian mothers who have to write the names of their children on their hands – because the chances of them being shelled to death, of their bodies turning into corpses are so high," Queen Rania told CNN.

"I just want to remind the world that Palestinian mothers love their children just as much as any other mother in the world."