GAZA, (PIC)
On Palestinian Child Day, which falls on April 5 each year, Israel continues—over the past 18 months—to deprive children in the Gaza Strip of their most basic rights due to the genocidal war it is waging. This has resulted in severe humanitarian tragedies, including killing, displacement, orphanhood, and starvation. While children around the world pack their school bags every morning to prepare for a full day of learning, children in the Gaza Strip wake up to the sound of massive explosions and scenes of death and destruction. Tens of thousands of them are now packing their bags in preparation for Israeli evacuation warnings.
While children around the world heal their wounds by drawing close to their parents during critical times, tens of thousands of children in the Gaza Strip have become orphans, according to statistical and human rights reports. Since Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, children in the Strip have been living under catastrophic conditions. Palestinian government reports ongoing genocide.
Genocide chases Gaza’s children
Children under the age of 18 constitute 43 percent of the total population of the State of Palestine, which reached about 5.5 million by the end of 2024—distributed as 3.4 million in the West Bank and 2.1 million in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). This genocide has targeted children across all age groups—from fetuses in their mothers’ wombs, to premature infants under 9 months old in incubators, and even those up to the age of 18 as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
During the months of genocide, Israel has killed around 17,954 children in the Gaza Strip, according to a PCBS statement on the eve of Palestinian Child Day. UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund), on April 1, reported that 322 children have been killed and 609 injured since Israel resumed its genocidal campaign and violated the ceasefire agreement on March 18. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stated that children in Gaza were forced back into a deadly cycle of violence after the ceasefire collapsed, and she called on all parties to fulfill their obligations under international humanitarian law.
On March 18, Israel withdrew from the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that had been in place since January 19 and resumed its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.
Killing of premature babies
On November 10, 2023, the Israeli army stormed Al-Nasr Children’s Hospital in western Gaza City and forced medical teams to leave under fire and intimidation. It refused to evacuate the premature babies, resulting in the deaths of five of them, according to the Ministry of Health in the Strip at the time. After the army withdrew from the Al-Nasr neighborhood, the decomposed bodies of these five premature babies were found in the incubators and on hospital beds—having been cut off from the necessary treatment needed to keep them alive.
Killing of infants in their first year
The PCBS reported that among the child victims were about 274 infants who were “born and martyred under Israeli bombing.” It added that Israel killed 876 children under the age of one during the months of genocide.
Targeting through denial of rights
Since the start of the genocide, Israel has killed Palestinians—including children—by denying them their basic rights to shelter, food, and water, while blocking essential supplies and aid. Despite international warnings about the dangers of these measures, which have caused the deaths of dozens, including children, Israel continues this policy and uses it as a weapon against Palestinians.
The PCBS announced that 52 children have died due to Israel’s starvation policy and systematic malnutrition.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Government Media Office reported on March 23 that 3,500 children are at risk of dying due to malnutrition, food shortages, and hunger.
Additionally, Israel’s destruction of most of the homes in the Gaza Strip—affecting 88 percent of the infrastructure—and its later refusal to allow the entry of tents and mobile homes (caravans) led to the deaths of 17 children from severe cold inside flimsy tents. Despite international warnings about the risks of children facing harsh winter conditions and calls to allow tents and caravans in to provide a minimum level of shelter for the displaced, Israel remained defiant and continued its genocidal practices.
Children are also being deprived of their right to education, which they briefly regained for less than a month during the ceasefire before Israel quickly obliterated it again.
According to data published by the Gaza Ministry of Education on January 22, the number of school-aged children (ages 6 to 18) killed by the occupation is equivalent to a genocidal elimination of all human resources (students and staff) in more than 30 schools. This reflects the scale of crimes committed against children and educational personnel.
The Ministry added that during the genocide, more than 50,000 students were injured—some of them more than once—resulting in many suffering from permanent disabilities, including amputations, paralysis, injuries to the head and limbs, and loss of senses. It also said: “As a result, the Ministry expects a more than fivefold increase in the number of students with special needs in its schools.”
Children with amputated limbs
On March 2, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said that the Gaza Strip now has the highest number of children with amputated limbs in the world relative to population. This was confirmed by the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, who announced in December 2024 the emergence of a “disability pandemic” in the Gaza Strip.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he said: “Gaza now has the highest rate of child amputees in the world relative to its population. Many of them lost their limbs and underwent surgeries without anesthesia.”
The Gaza Government Media Office also announced on March 23 that 4,700 Palestinians have undergone amputations due to Israeli genocide, 18 percent of whom are children.
Orphaned children
The PCBS said in its previous report that 39,384 children in the Gaza Strip have lost one or both parents during the genocide. About 17,000 of these children have lost both parents, leaving them to face life alone, without support or care.
It added: “These children live in tragic conditions. Many were forced to take refuge in torn tents or destroyed homes, amid an almost complete absence of social care and psychological support.”
According to earlier human rights reports, the loss of parents was due to killings or arrests carried out by the Israeli occupation forces.
In February 2024, UNICEF Communications Director in the Palestinian Territories, Jonathan Crickx, said: “Each one of these children has a heartbreaking story.”
The separation of children from their parents forced many to take on responsibilities far beyond their age, as they became responsible for providing food, water, and other basic needs for their families. Hundreds of them were pushed into child labor.
One million children need psychological support
On March 16, UNICEF warned that children in Palestine face “extremely alarming” conditions, living in “intense fear and anxiety,” suffering from the consequences of being denied humanitarian aid and protection.
On January 24, Tom Fletcher, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said: “One million children in the Gaza Strip need psychological and social support due to depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts caused by the genocide.”
He added, during a session at the UN Security Council: “Over the past 15 months in Gaza, children have been killed, left to starve, and have died from the cold.”
He explained that children in Gaza are losing their schools and education, and those with chronic illnesses are struggling to access the care they need.
He continued: “According to UNICEF, a million children need psychological and social support due to depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. An entire generation is suffering from psychological trauma.”
With full U.S. support, the Israeli occupation has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, resulting in over 165,000 Palestinian martyrs and injured, the majority of whom are children and women, and more than 11,000 missing persons.
