Gaza on the 8th of October 2023. Source: Wafa – Palestinian news agency, Wikimedia Commons
More children have been killed in Gaza in three weeks than in conflicts across the world each year since 2019, says nongovernment organisation Save the Children.
With references from Palestinian health authorities, the NGO released figures on Sunday showing that 3,324 children have been killed by Israel in Gaza since October 7, and 36 have been killed in the occupied West Bank.
Save the Children also said reports from the UN Secretary-General showed a total of 2,985 children were killed in conflicts across 24 countries in 2022; 2,515 in 2021; and 2,674 in 2020 across 22 countries.
Jason Lee, Save the Children’s country director for the occupied Palestinian territory, said: “One child’s death is one too many, but these are grave violations of epic proportions.”
“A ceasefire is the only way to ensure their safety. The international community must put people before politics – every day spent debating is leaving children killed and injured. Children must be protected at all times, especially when they are seeking safety in schools and hospitals.”
Israel continues to bombard Gaza and is now going forward with expanded ground invasions in the city.
The entire Gaza Strip experienced a near-total communication blackout on Friday, in what is being described as a night of “sheer terror.”
On top of the 3,324 children killed, another 1,000 are reported missing in Gaza and may be buried under the rubble.
After Hamas’s retaliatory attack on October 7, Israel has tightened the pre-existing blockade, and cut all food, water, electricity, and fuel supplies.
Electricity and fuel scarcities in Gaza mean that hospitals are under threat, with the health ministry declaring Gaza’s health system in a state of “complete collapse,” putting the lives of more children, including babies in incubators, at risk.
And fuel shortages are not the only threat facing Gaza’s hospitals.
On Sunday, the Israeli military threatened the al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City with bombardment, ordering for its “immediate evacuation.”
The director of the hospital was interviewed by Al Jazeera and said that there was absolutely no need for Israel to be targeting the hospital or nearby areas.
“There’s no police presence in the hospital, no military presence, nothing at all. Just thousands of Palestinians here, many of whom have lost their homes. Thousands of others are seeking shelter in UNRWA schools,” they said.
“Israel is targeting every single building around al-Quds Hospital. Why is that? Nobody knows.”
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said this hospital is currently providing care to hundreds of injured patients, as well as sheltering thousands of displaced civilians, most of whom are women and children.
