The Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Catherine Russell told the Security Council.

She said more than 5,300 children were reportedly killed in over six weeks of fighting in the Gaza strip.

"Based on these figures, children account for 40% of the deaths in Gaza; this is unprecedented; in other words, today, the Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child," Russel said.

She also told those attending the Security Council meeting on Gaza a further 1,200 children are under the rubble or unaccounted for. UNICEF called for a lasting humanitarian ceasefire. 

Russel, however, said the harm to children would last long after the war ended.

"Children who manage to survive the war are likely to see their lives irreparably altered through repeated exposure to dramatic events."