In a statement released on October 29, the NGO Save the Children announced that with 3,195 children killed in three weeks in the Gaza Strip, the toll exceeds the annual number of children killed in conflict zones since 2019. Referring to a communication from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) dated October 28, the NGO stated that this is one of the greatest tragedies in recent years.
On her part, the Executive Director of UNICEF, Catherine Russell, stated, “According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, more than 8,300 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including over 3,400 children, and more than 6,300 children have been injured. This means that over 420 children are killed or injured every day in Gaza – a number that should deeply shake each of us. Of course, violence against children extends beyond the Gaza Strip. In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, at least 37 children are reported to have been killed.” This statement, given after a visit to Gaza by Catherine Russell on November 15, serves as a reminder of the plight of Palestinian children trapped by an army that knows neither law nor respite. The Executive Director of UNICEF emphasized that “many children are missing and would be buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings and houses, a tragic consequence of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. Meanwhile, newborns requiring specialized care have died in one of the hospitals in Gaza, as electricity and medical supplies run out, and violence continues indiscriminately.”
According to UNICEF, as of November 17, 2023, 11,180 people, including 4,630 children and over 3,000 women, have died. Among the number of 28,000 injured, 8,663 are children, and at least 3,200 individuals, including 1,500 children, are reported missing. Women and children account for 67% of the victims. Every day, the toll worsens alarmingly, turning Gaza into a “graveyard” for thousands of children and a real nightmare for everyone else. Meanwhile, the West Bank is facing an escalation of violence, resulting in the tragic loss of over 45 children.
In addition to the killings, over 625,000 students in the Gaza Strip have been denied access to education since the beginning of hostilities, according to OCHA. According to the UN agency, “the extent of damage to schools and other civilian infrastructure is increasingly concerning.” The occupying army targets several schools in the Palestinian enclave, even though they are used as shelters for the thousands of displaced people. Since 2007, students in the Gaza Strip have experienced multiple interruptions in their schooling due to the repeated aggressions committed by the occupying army.
Unfortunately, bombings are not the only danger that children face; they also have to survive in an enclave that is deprived of almost everything. Firstly, the territory is deprived of electricity, endangering the lives of 130 premature infants currently in incubators in Gaza hospitals. The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed deep concern, emphasizing that without fuel for generators, these children are exposed to a mortal risk. Christian Lindmeier, spokesperson for the WHO, stated, “It is an imminent public health catastrophe that looms.”
Simultaneously, access to water has reached critical levels. James Elder, spokesperson for UNICEF, explains, “Over one million children in Gaza desperately need water. Currently, the production of drinking water represents only 5% of what it is under normal circumstances.” Although there are water desalination plants in Gaza, most of them are out of service or operate very limitedly. This situation forces children to consume salty water, worsening their health and contributing to their vulnerability.
The situation on the ground is so disastrous that even within the UN, personnel find it difficult to conceal a certain emotion. This is the first time, except perhaps during the peak of the Syrian conflict, that this heaviness is felt at every press conference. Spokespersons are sometimes on the verge of tears when announcing the loss of several of their colleagues overnight, or when relaying the fact that parents have to write their child’s name on their arm in case identification is needed at the morgue. Behind the scenes, officials confess that they no longer really know what to say or do. Usually, the UN faces a lack of funding for its humanitarian operations, but this time, the main obstacle is access. Only 143 aid trucks have managed to enter Gaza so far, compared to the 500 per day before the start of the conflict.
On the international political front, although major leaders have unequivocally sided with Israel since the start of the conflict, it seems that the practices of the occupying army are starting to prompt a change in their stance. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stated on November 14 that “Israel’s attitude towards women and children” in its response to Hamas attacks is “similar to terrorism.”
During his weekly show “Conversation with the President” on social media, Lula said, “If I know there are children somewhere, even if there is a monster in there, I cannot kill the children because I want to kill the monster.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, on his part, called on Israel to end the violence affecting women, children, and infants in northern Gaza. Trudeau expressed deep concern about the heartbreaking situation in Gaza, emphasizing that the price of justice should not be the continued suffering of Palestinian civilians. He reminded that even in times of war, there are rules. The Canadian Prime Minister urged Israel to exercise the utmost restraint in its war, emphasizing that the world was attentive to events. Trudeau stressed the importance of ending the suffering of civilians, citing poignant testimonies from doctors, family members, and survivors, particularly those of children who have lost their parents.
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