SAEDNEWS: Israel's relentless war on Gaza has turned the besieged enclave into a graveyard for children, with an average of 28 minors killed every single day, according to the United Nations.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that over 18,000 Palestinian children have been killed since Israel launched its genocidal assault on Gaza on October 7, 2023.
This amounts to one child killed every hour — a rate that has shocked even veteran humanitarian observers.
“Death by bombardments. Death by malnutrition and starvation. Death by lack of aid and vital services,” UNICEF stated on X.
“In Gaza, an average of 28 children a day – the size of a classroom – have been killed.”
The agency stressed the urgent need for food, water, medicine and protection for Gaza’s children.
“More than anything, they need a ceasefire, NOW,” UNICEF emphasized.
Al Jazeera’s Aksel Zaimovic reported that childhood in Gaza has been “replaced by a daily struggle for the basics of life.”
The total Palestinian death toll now stands at 60,933, with at least 150,027 wounded.
In just the last 24 hours, Israel’s starvation siege killed eight more people — including one child — bringing the total number of starvation deaths to 188, half of them children.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces continue targeting food convoys and civilians trying to access aid.
Ten-year-old Lana, displaced by Israeli bombings, suffered trauma-induced depigmentation after an airstrike hit near her shelter.
“Her hair and skin turned white,” said her mother, Mai Jalal al-Sharif.
“She talks to her doll and says, ‘Do you want to play with me, or will you be like the other kids?’ Her mental health is severely damaged.”
Kadim Khufu Basim, a young boy forced to support six family members after his father was injured, is another victim of Israel’s war on children.
Despite international law mandating their protection, children like Kadim have become deliberate targets.
Zaimovic reported: “Schools deliberately targeted, water facilities destroyed, food systematically blocked… the fundamental rights of childhood have been weaponised against an entire generation.”
Save the Children’s regional director Ahmad Alhendawi said: “Gaza is a graveyard for children today and for their dreams. This is an inescapable living nightmare for every child in Gaza.”
Since March 2, Israel has tightened its siege, allowing only 86 aid trucks into Gaza daily — just 14 percent of the minimum required.
The resulting famine has triggered widespread calls from over 150 humanitarian organisations and UN experts for an immediate and lasting ceasefire.
They warn that without urgent international action, Gaza’s children will remain trapped in a “lost generation.”
