UNICEF: 67 Palestinian Children Killed in Gaza Since Ceasefire; Humanitarian Crisis Deepens Amid Continued Violence

UNICEF: 67 Palestinian Children Killed in Gaza Since Ceasefire

The devastating human toll of the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip continues to mount, with a recent report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) revealing that at least 67 Palestinian children have tragically lost their lives since a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement came into effect just last month.

Ricardo Pires, a UNICEF spokesperson, addressed reporters in Geneva on Friday, highlighting the grim reality. He noted that among the fatalities was an infant girl killed in an Israeli airstrike on a residence in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis on Thursday. Additionally, seven other children perished merely a day earlier amidst a series of Israeli assaults across the besieged enclave.

Pires underscored the shocking nature of these figures, stating, "This is during an agreed ceasefire. The pattern is staggering." He reiterated UNICEF's long-standing message: "As we have repeated many times, these are not statistics: Each was a child with a family, a dream, a life – suddenly cut short by continued violence."

Palestinian children have disproportionately borne the brunt of the Israeli bombardment of Gaza. UNICEF previously estimated that a staggering 64,000 children have been killed or injured in Israeli attacks since the war escalated in October 2023. Further harrowing data from Save the Children indicates that in 2024, an average of 475 Palestinian children each month have suffered "lifelong disabilities," including severe traumatic brain injuries and burns, as a direct consequence of the conflict. The humanitarian organization also lamented that Gaza has regrettably become "home to the largest cohort of child amputees in modern history."

Beyond direct attacks, Israel faces accusations of employing starvation as a weapon of war, plunging the territory into an acute humanitarian catastrophe. This has tragically resulted in several hunger-related deaths, particularly among children, who are exceptionally vulnerable to food supply shortages.

Escalation Amidst Truce Claims

This week, the Israeli military conducted multiple airstrikes across Gaza, citing an incident in Khan Younis where its troops reportedly came under fire. However, Hamas has vehemently rejected Israel's justification, labeling the latest strikes – which claimed at least 32 Palestinian lives – as a "dangerous escalation" designed to "resume the genocide" in Gaza.

Medical teams from Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on the ground reported treating numerous Palestinian women and children with severe injuries, including "open fractures and gunshot wounds to their limbs and head," following the recent wave of Israeli attacks. Zaher, an MSF nurse in Gaza City, described treating a woman with a leg injury and a nine-year-old girl who sustained a facial wound from Israeli quadcopter gunfire.

Mohammed Malaka, a patient at al-Shifa Hospital, vividly recounted the terror, describing hearing "two incoming missiles before he lost consciousness." He awoke to a scene of devastation: "I opened my eyes and saw my father on the ground, and I saw my three brothers on the ground, covered in blood and dust was everywhere… I could hear people screaming everywhere… the tents had become ashes, and people were lying on the ground everywhere."

A Looming Winter Crisis

Compounding the violence, Palestinians throughout Gaza are grappling with severe restrictions on humanitarian aid deliveries, including crucial tents needed to protect displaced families during the harsh winter months. UNICEF’s Pires warned that many children are now "sleeping in the open" and "trembling in fear while living in flooded, makeshift shelters."

He issued a stark warning: "The reality imposed on Gaza’s children remains brutally simple: There is no safe place for them and the world cannot continue to normalise their suffering." Pires urgently called for increased assistance to be allowed into the territory, emphasizing, "For hundreds of thousands of children living in tents over the rubble of their former homes, the new [winter] season is a threat multiplier. Children are shivering through the night with no heating, no insulation, and too few blankets."