According to UNRWA, nearly 70% of those reported killed are children and women and nearly 3,500 children have been killed in Gaza in three weeks: “Gaza has become a ‘graveyard’ for children amid Israeli attacks.”
Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Organisation for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), has noted that a significant majority of the Palestinian casualties resulting from the continuous Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since October 7th are women and children, accounting for 70% of the victims. He also cautioned that there are no secure areas within Gaza.
Lazzarini emphasized that Israeli attacks have included the targeting of churches, mosques, hospitals, and structures sheltering displaced individuals. He described these actions as a form of collective punishment imposed on the Palestinian population enduring a prolonged siege.
Catherine Russell, the Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), provided her perspective, highlighting that the Israeli military actions have led to the tragic loss of over 3,400 children’s lives and left at least 6,300 children with injuries.
She underscored the alarming fact that, on average, 420 children were either killed or wounded each day, emphasizing that these statistics should deeply disturb us.
Russell also pointed out that the Israeli airstrikes caused extensive damage, with at least 221 schools and over 177,000 homes either completely or partially destroyed.
Gaza has become a ‘graveyard’ for children amid Israeli attacks
The Gaza Strip is now a graveyard for thousands of children, the United Nations has said, as it warned of the prospect of more dying of dehydration amid Israel’s war on the besieged enclave.
“Our gravest fears about the reported numbers of children killed becoming dozens, then hundreds, and ultimately thousands were realised in just a fortnight,” James Elder, a spokesperson for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The numbers are appalling; reportedly more than 3,450 children killed; staggeringly this rises significantly every day.”
“Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of children. It’s a living hell for everyone else.”