DaysofPal- Gaza’s Government Media Office (GMO) has reported alarming figures highlighting the devastating toll on children in the ongoing conflict.
According to Ismail Al-Thawabta, the director of the GMO, Israeli occupation forces have killed 1,091 Palestinian infants in Gaza since October 7, 2023. Among these victims are 238 newborns who lost their lives during the ongoing genocidal war.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, Al-Thawabta condemned the targeted killings of infants, labeling them as “clear war crimes.” He called on the international community to urgently launch investigations and hold those responsible accountable.
The conflict’s impact on civilians, especially children, is further highlighted by a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights report, which revealed that women and children constitute nearly 70% of those killed in the Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 2023.
The findings, based on a detailed analysis of a representative sample of victims, emphasized that the systematic targeting of civilians in Gaza amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The first day of 2025 brought further sorrow to Gaza. Medical sources reported that 29 Palestinians, including children, were killed on Wednesday in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip. Among the casualties were a woman and child who died when an Israeli drone struck a home in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. Several others were injured in the attack.
The ongoing violence has compounded an already dire humanitarian crisis. On Monday, local health authorities confirmed that at least seven people, including six babies, froze to death due to the winter cold amid the Israeli blockade. This chilling statistic underscores the devastating impact of the conflict and the blockade on Gaza’s most vulnerable populations.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has warned that children in Gaza are freezing to death due to the cold weather and severe lack of shelter.
“Gaza babies are freezing to death due to cold weather and a lack of shelter,” Lazzarini wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He further criticized the blockade that has prevented essential winter supplies, including blankets and mattresses, from reaching those in need.
“Blankets, mattresses, and other winter supplies have been stuck in the region for months waiting for approval to get into Gaza,” he said, calling for an immediate cease-fire and the flow of much-needed basic supplies.
The UN official’s warning follows reports from Gaza’s Health Ministry Director-General Munir Al-Barsh, who revealed that three Palestinian children died in makeshift displacement camps over the past week due to freezing temperatures.
The conflict has also taken a heavy toll on Gaza’s healthcare system. By the end of June 2024, more than 500 medical professionals had been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. This loss of medical personnel, combined with attacks on hospitals and limited access to medical supplies, has severely compromised the ability to provide care to the injured and vulnerable.
More than 45,550 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 108,300 others injured, according to local health authorities.
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