he United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has said that 2,360 children have died in Israel’s counterattacks in the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas’ October 7 attacks on southern Israel.
The UN aid group, which spoke of the “relentless attacks,” said 5,364 children have been injured.
Since the surprise Hamas attacks on October 7, Israel’s army has been bombing targets in the Gaza Strip and preparing a ground offensive in the sealed-off coastal area.
“Over the past 18 days, the Gaza Strip has borne witness to a devastating toll on its children, with a reported 2,360 fatalities and a reported 5,364 injuries due to unrelenting attacks, or more than 400 children reportedly either killed or injured daily,” UNICEF said.
“The situation in the Gaza Strip is a growing stain on our collective conscience. The rate of death and injuries of children is simply staggering,” said Adele Khodr, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.
The footage of children being rescued from beneath the rubble, injured and in distress, while trembling in hospitals as they await treatment, portrays the immense horror these children are enduring. But without humanitarian access, the deaths from attacks could be the tip of the iceberg,” said Khodr.
“The death toll will increase exponentially if incubators start to fail, if hospitals go dark, if children continue to drink unsafe water and have no access to medicine when they get sick.”
He said the Gaza Strip is suffering from acute water shortages, with severe consequences for children, who make up about 50 percent of the population.
UNICEF urged all parties to agree to a ceasefire, provide humanitarian access, and release all hostages.