Israel has already killed more Palestinian children in the 19 days of war than in the last 23 years of conflict due to Israeli occupation. Since the Hamas attack on October 7, the Strip has suffered the “deadliest attacks”, killing 750 Palestinians in a single day, many of them children. The Ministry of Health of Gaza, in the hands of the Islamist group, has assured that more than 2,300 Palestinian children have been killed by the Israeli Army since the escalation of the conflict.

Likewise, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has denounced that More than 400 Palestinian children are killed or injured every day for Israel’s bombings against the Gaza Strip. “In the last 18 days, the Gaza Strip has witnessed a devastating number of underage victims: have been notified 2,360 dead and 5,364 injured due to the incessant attacks, that is, more than 400 children die or are injured every day,” reads a statement, figures to which the deaths of this Wednesday must be added.

A report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanes, which does not cover the events that occurred after October 7, shows that between 2008 and 2023, 1,434 Palestinian children have died and another 32,175 have been injured at the hands of the Israelis. Therefore, in 15 years 1,434 children have died compared to more than 2,360 in the last two weeks, which represents 926 more minors.

The same report states that Israeli forces They detain an average of between 500 and 700 Palestinian children each year, and which now total 13,000; most of them are interrogated, tried in military courts and imprisoned. According to the document, children live daily experiences of violence and confiscation of family lands, expropriation of resources, separation of communities, destruction of homes and livelihoods, and attacks on their education.

“Today’s hell cannot hide the violence of recent decades. To address the crisis, it is imperative to understand what led to it. “This does not mean justifying or downplaying the heinous crimes committed against Israeli civilians on October 7, but forces us to confront that horror in the context of what preceded it,” Albanese added. He also stated that the fact that “Israel presents Palestinian children as ‘human shields’ to justify its bombings”It’s deeply dehumanizing.“.

“The tip of the iceberg”

The regional director of UNICEF for the Middle East and North Africa, Adele Khodr, has asserted that “the situation in the Gaza Strip It’s a growing stain.” in the collective conscience, because the toll of minor victims is “simply astonishing.” “Even more frightening is the fact that unless tensions are eased and unless humanitarian aid, including food, water, medical supplies and fuel, is allowed, the daily death toll will continue to rise,” he noted, noting that “Without humanitarian access, deaths from attacks could be the tip of the iceberg“.

In this sense, he has indicated that the number of deaths will increase exponentially if incubators start to failif hospitals close their doors, if children continue to drink contaminated water and do not have access to medicine when they fall ill. “The images of children rescued from under the rubble, injured and in danger, as they tremble in hospitals while awaiting treatment , portray the immense horror that these children are enduring,” he added.

The UN agency, which has also noted that 30 Israeli minors have died and dozens remain kidnapped in Gaza, has stated that this period “is the deadliest escalation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel that the United Nations has witnessed since 2006.” “. Furthermore, he has warned that Almost all Palestinian children in Gaza have been “exposed to deeply distressing events and traumas, marked by widespread destruction”, attacks, forced displacement and shortages of basic necessities. “The killing and maiming of children, the abduction of children, attacks on hospitals and schools and the denial of humanitarian access constitute serious violations of human rights. of children,” Khodr said.

Likewise, he has made an “urgent” call to agree on a ceasefire that allows humanitarian access and the release of hostages. “Even wars have rules. Civilians, particularly children, must be protected and every effort must be made to protect them in all circumstances,” she said. On the other hand, the special rapporteur has assured that Israel’s continued crimes against Palestinians have deprived their children of their most basic rights in an effort to “impede the development of Palestinian society.”

“The oppression and trauma suffered by Palestinian children, half of the Palestinian population under Israeli rule, is an unprecedented stain on the international community,” Albanese said in a statement. Finally, the rapporteur has urged the international community to end the Israeli occupation and colonization and prosecute all its crimes international crimes committed in Palestinian territories.