KUALA LUMPUR – At least 3,195 children have been reported killed in Gaza since October 7, which is more than those killed annually in armed conflicts globally since 2019, said the non-governmental organisation Save the Children.
In addition, 33 children in the West Bank and 29 in Israel have been killed over the last three weeks.
Children make up more than 40% of the 7,703 people killed in Gaza and more than a third of all fatalities in Gaza and Israel. Also, 1,000 children have been reported missing in Gaza, assumed to be buried under the rubble.
It is reported that at least 6,360 children in Gaza have also been injured, as well as at least 180 children in the West Bank and at least 74 children in Israel.
With Israeli forces announcing their expansion of ground operations in the Gaza Strip, this is expected to bring more deaths, injuries, and distress to the locals.
“Three weeks of violence have ripped children from families and torn through their lives at an unimaginable rate. The numbers are harrowing, and with violence not only continuing but expanding in Gaza right now, many more children remain at grave risk.
“A ceasefire is the only way to ensure their safety. The international community must put people before politics – every day spent debating leaves children killed and injured. Children must be protected at all times, especially when they are seeking safety in schools and hospitals,” said the organisation’s Palestine director, Jason Lee.
Yesterday, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said it received threats from Israeli forces to evacuate the al-Quds Hospital in Gaza, while the hospital shared on X (formerly Twitter) that there have been bombs dropping 50m from its building.
The hospital is currently providing care to hundreds of injured patients, including those in intensive care units and newborns in incubators. Some 12,000 displaced civilians, with the majority being children and women, have also sought refuge in the hospital building.
In response, World Health Organisation director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted that “it’s impossible to evacuate hospitals full of patients without endangering their lives”.
The United Nations also reported that a third of hospitals across the Gaza Strip are no longer operational due to electricity cuts and a “total siege” by the Israeli government blocking entry of goods such as fuel and medicine.
According to Doctors without Borders, resulting anaesthesia shortages have meant amputating children without pain relief. – October 30, 2023