A
report by Save the Children states that more children have been killed
in Gaza since the attacks on October 7 than those killed in conflicts
around the world every year since 2019.
Referencing Palestinian Health authorities, the report stated that at least 3,324 children have been murdered so far and 36 were killed in the West Bank.
In comparison, reports from the UN
Secretary-General on children and armed conflict show that a total of
2,985 children were killed in 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, explained, “One child’s
death is one too many, but these are grave violations of epic
proportions,” adding, “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.”
Read next: Children killed in Gaza a 'stain on our collective conscience': UNICEF
As of yet, 1,000 children remain missing
in Gaza and may be under the rubble. It is worth noting that children
constitute over 40% of the more than 8,000 people confirmed dead in
Gaza.
A typical 15-year-old in Gaza has lived through five periods of intensive bombardment: 2008-9, 2012, 2014, 2021, and now 2023.
Children, a threat to the IOF
This follows an announcement by the
Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) on Sunday of receiving “serious
threats” from the IOF to “immediately evacuate” al-Quds Hospital in Gaza.
“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,” the director of the
hospital told Al Jazeera. Almost 12,000 displaced Palestinians have taken refuge in the hospital, with the majority being children and women.
“Israel is targeting every single building around al-Quds Hospital. Why is that? Nobody knows.”
According to a Palestinian psychiatrist who spoke to Al Mayadeen English earlier this year, Palestinian children living in Gaza are experiencing serious trauma, in addition to their increased chances of injuries or death.
Fadel Abu Heen reported that the
psychological impact of war on the children has begun to develop in the
shape of "convulsions, bed-wetting, fear, aggressive behavior,
nervousness, and not leaving their parents’ sides.”
The psychiatrist emphasized that a sense
of horror has impacted the entire population, children in particular,
detailing how some children do not express their fears, therefore
harboring the trauma within them.
Children, a threat to the IOF
This follows an announcement by the
Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) on Sunday of receiving “serious
threats” from the IOF to “immediately evacuate” al-Quds Hospital in Gaza.
“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,” the director of the
hospital told Al Jazeera. Almost 12,000 displaced Palestinians have taken refuge in the hospital, with the majority being children and women.
“Israel is targeting every single building around al-Quds Hospital. Why is that? Nobody knows.”
According to a Palestinian psychiatrist who spoke to Al Mayadeen English earlier this year, Palestinian children living in Gaza are experiencing serious trauma, in addition to their increased chances of injuries or death.
Fadel Abu Heen reported that the
psychological impact of war on the children has begun to develop in the
shape of "convulsions, bed-wetting, fear, aggressive behavior,
nervousness, and not leaving their parents’ sides.”
The psychiatrist emphasized that a sense
of horror has impacted the entire population, children in particular,
detailing how some children do not express their fears, therefore
harboring the trauma within them.
Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.