More than 50,000 children have been killed or injured in Israel’s deadly war in Gaza since October 2023, the UN Children’s Fund said.
“The children of Gaza need protection. They need food, water and medicine. They need a ceasefire. But, more than anything, they need urgent, collective action to stop this once and for all,” said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s Middle East Director, in a statement.
He said at least 1,309 children had been killed and 3,738 injured since Israel resumed airstrikes on Gaza on March 18.
“How many more dead girls and boys will it take? What level of horror must be broadcast live before the international community fully engages, uses its influence and takes bold, decisive action to end this ruthless killing of children?” he asked.
On Friday, Palestinian doctor Alaa Najjar, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, lost nine of her ten children, and her husband, also a doctor, is in critical condition as a result of an Israeli airstrike on their home.
On Monday, at least 31 people, including 18 children, were burned to death in an Israeli attack on a school converted into a shelter in Gaza City.
“These children – lives that should never be numbered – are now part of a long, harrowing list of unimaginable horrors: grave violations of children’s rights, aid blockades, starvation, ongoing forced displacement and the destruction of hospitals, water systems, schools and homes. In essence, the destruction of life itself in the Gaza Strip,” Beigbeder said.
The Israeli military, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has been waging a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 54,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide charge before the International Court of Justice for war crimes against civilians in the enclave.
