Source: Save the Children
At least one Palestinian child has been killed every hour on average by Israeli forces in Gaza over nearly 23 months of war, with the number of children killed now surpassing 20,000, Save the Children said.
The latest data released by the Government Media Office in Gaza showed at least 20,000 children – about 2% of Gaza’s child population – have been killed since October 2023.
At least 1,009 of the children killed were under age one, with nearly half (450) of these babies born and killed during the war. At least 42,011 children have been injured, according to the Ministry of Health, with the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities reporting at least 21,000 children left permanently disabled. Thousands more are missing or presumed buried under rubble.
After 23 months of war, the lives of surviving children are at risk daily. The famine in Gaza Governorate is likely to spread in the coming weeks with over a million people, about half of whom are children, already facing catastrophic hunger, the worst-case IPC Phase 5. At least 132,000 children aged under five face risk of death from acute malnutrition, and at least 135 children have already starved to death, 20 of them since famine was declared on 22 August, according to the Ministry of Health.
Israeli forces have intensified their bombardment across the Gaza Strip, damaging 97% of schools [1], 94% of hospitals and killing children who are seven times more likely to die from blast injuries than adults [2]. Their bodies are more vulnerable to trauma, and they often suffer distinct types of injuries that require specialist treatment tailored to their physiology and development.
Our Mental Health and Psychosocial Support team in Gaza shared stories of parents we are supporting, specifically those whose children have been killed in this war. They said:
” Parents are in deep pain. They are unable to cope with their feelings. This pain is an unbearable grief to them. These parents are surviving malnutrition, displacement and constant bombardment while also mourning their slaughtered babies. “Parents whose children were torn to pieces speak of a pain more than anyone should be made to bear, of not being able to give their children one last hug, of being deprived of a goodbye.
” They speak of the lost embraces, laughter, cries and even the mischievousness. To them, every breath is pain coming in.”
Save the Children’s Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, Ahmad Alhendawi, said:
” This is a shameful statistic – a horrific new low in a war characterised by a constant stream of them. Worst of all, we saw this coming. Systematic attacks on children’s homes, playgrounds, schools and hospitals, starvation by design – the world is doing nothing to stop it.
“This war is a cruel, depraved and deliberate war on the children of Gaza and their future, a generation stolen. If the international community does not step up, we are facing the very real risk of the total annihilation of future Palestinian communities.
“Atrocity crimes, including crimes against humanity and war crimes, have been committed in this conflict. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is now considering whether a genocide is taking place. The plausible risk of a genocide is enough to trigger urgent action. All states have a legal obligation to prevent the crime of genocide. All states must act decisively before it is too late.”
Save the Children calls for an immediate and definitive ceasefire and immediate, unfettered access to deliver life-saving aid for children and families across Gaza. Children have additional and enhanced protections under international humanitarian law because of the disproportionate impact and accelerated harm conflict has on them – both directly and indirectly, physically and mentally. Compliance with these rules is compliance with humanity – and is not optional.
All States must immediately halt the transfer of weapons, parts, and ammunition used against children and civilians.