More than 300 children have been killed so far and over 1,500 wounded since the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, a statement by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday.

UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman said in the statement that "each day more children are being hurt, their small bodies wounded, their young lives shattered," and "this is tragic. This is unacceptable."

She stressed that humanitarian access to all, especially to the most vulnerable, must be unhampered, adding that civilian populations must be protected on both sides, in line with international principles.

She said children form the majority of the population of Gaza. "They are bearing the brunt of a conflict which is not theirs. As fighting reaches the heart of heavily populated urban areas, the impact of lethal weapons will carry an even heavier toll on children," she added.

"Absolute priority must be given to their protection," Veneman said, noting that "UNICEF calls on all parties to take every measure to protect children."

On Wednesday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who is currently in the Middle East, appealed for urgent compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1860, which calls for an immediate, durable and fully respected ceasefire and for the unimpeded provision and distribution throughout Gaza of humanitarian assistance.

So far 1,010 Palestinians were killed and 4,600 others wounded, with around half of them civilians, since the beginning of the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip on Dec. 27 last year, Gaza emergency chief Mo'aweya Hassanein told reporters.

(Xinhua News Agency January 15, 2009)