The hungry cry of Gaza’s children: A war on innocence

The latest reports from Gaza point to the intensification of Israel’s child-killing crimes. According to the Gaza Government Information Office, out of the 62,000 people killed since the Israeli regime launched its war on Gaza in October 2023, at least 18,885 have been children.

This shocking statistic comes as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced yesterday that “there is no safe place for children in besieged Gaza”, where Israel’s blockade has made the entry of aid and medical supplies impossible, fueling widespread hunger and malnutrition.

According to UNRWA, UN-run schools have been turned into shelters for hundreds of thousands of people amid Israel’s relentless bombardment that has leveled homes to the ground. The agency noted that Palestinians who sought safety in UN facilities saw those very shelters come under attack, turning them into places of death — including for many children. “There is no safe place for children in Gaza.”

UNRWA, citing UNICEF, reminded that in the past five months alone — since Israel unilaterally broke the ceasefire and resumed its attacks — an average of more than 540 children have been killed each month.

Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, recently reported on the dire situation of Gaza’s children. In a message on social media, he outlined the crisis in numbers:

• At least 100 children have died due to malnutrition and starvation.
• According to UNICEF, more than 40,000 children have been killed or injured by bombardments and airstrikes.
• At least 17,000 children are unaccompanied and separated from their families.
• One million children are severely traumatized and deprived of education.

A recent video of Amneh al-Mufti, a 12-year-old girl from Gaza, showed Israeli soldiers targeting and killing her while she was carrying water for her family.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s Ministry of Health announced that since late June — when it began recording famine-related deaths — 154 adults have died of malnutrition, along with 112 children since the start of the war.

Another tragedy involved Abdullah Abu Zarqa, a 5-year-old Palestinian boy whose heartbreaking video whispering “I am hungry” went viral. He passed away in a hospital in Turkey after his condition deteriorated. According to Shehab, his death resulted from a severe lack of medicine, testing, and medical equipment in Gaza, as well as delays in transferring him abroad for treatment.

The UN’s warnings over the worsening situation in Gaza come as at least 51 Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks on Tuesday morning alone. Among them were at least 8 aid workers who lost their lives after being shot by Israeli forces near so-called humanitarian foundation (GHF) centers in Gaza, supported by the United States.

These centers have been witnessing daily clashes, which since late May have claimed the lives of at least 2,000 Palestinians seeking safety in Gaza.

At the same time, the Israeli army — ignoring global calls to stop the war — has intensified its attacks on Gaza.