The number of Gaza children martyred since the start of Israel’s war has reached 21,976, including 1,125 infants who had not reached their first birthday, according to the Government Media Office in Gaza. The Palestinian Information Center (PalInfo), citing the office’s figures on Sunday, reported that the Strip’s children face not only bombardment but also orphanhood, hunger, disability and the loss of schooling.
The office said more than 612 babies were born and martyred during the war, while more than 22,000 school students are among the martyrs. Children, women and the elderly make up more than 55 percent of all those killed.
Gaza children martyred, orphaned and starved
According to the figures, 62,247 children have lost one or both parents, including 2,774 who lost both. Hunger and malnutrition have killed 164 children, extreme cold in displacement camps has killed 25, and about 650,000 children face the risk of death from hunger. Children account for roughly 972 of the more than 5,400 amputation cases, more than 5,200 children urgently need medical evacuation, and 2,432 diabetic children are at risk because insulin is unavailable. More than 650,000 school-age children have been deprived of education.
The office called on the UN Security Council, the International Criminal Court and children’s rights bodies to act to stop the war, break the siege, secure food, medicine and fuel, and hold those responsible to account.
Read More: Gaza Women: 50,000 Women and Girls Killed or Maimed, UN
Killings continue despite the ceasefire
Middle East Eye, citing the Palestinian news agency Wafa, reported that seven-year-old Jihad al-Ghandour died of his wounds on Sunday, a day after Israeli forces shot him in Jabalia refugee camp. Medical sources put the toll since October 7, 2023 at 74,377 martyred and 175,398 wounded. According to Al Masirah, more than 100 humanitarian and rights organisations said in a joint statement on Friday that the ceasefire “exists in name only.”
Sources: Palestinian Information Center (PalInfo), Middle East Eye, Al Masirah
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