Gaza: 10,000 children killed in nearly 100 days of war   

More than 10,000 children have been killed by Israeli air strikes and ground operations in Gaza in nearly 100 days of violence, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, with thousands more missing, presumed buried under rubble, Save the Children said.

The latest data from the Ministry of Health in Gaza shows more than 10,000 of Gaza’s 1.1 million children – one per of the total child population – have been killed since 7 October. The war will have been ongoing for 100 days on Sunday 14 January.

“Children in Gaza surviving the violence are enduring unspeakable horrors, including life-changing injuries, burns, disease, inadequate medical care and losing their parents and other loved ones. They have been forced to flee violence, often repeatedly, with no safe place to go, and face the terror of an uncertain future,” Save the Children said.

About 1,000 children in Gaza have lost one or both of their legs, many having them amputated without anesthetic, and will require a lifetime of medical care.

The rights group went on to highlight some of the many violations committed by Israel in the besieged enclave, including the destruction or damage of 370 schools, attacks on 94 hospitals and healthcare facilities and the entire child population in Gaza being denied access to adequate humanitarian assistance.

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Save the Children’s Country Director for the occupied Palestinian territory, Jason Lee, said: “For every day without a definitive ceasefire, 100 children on average have been killed. There can never be any justification for killing children. The situation in Gaza is monstrous and a blight on our common humanity.”

“For nearly 100 days, children have been paying the price for a conflict they have no part in. They are terrified, hurt, maimed, displaced. One per cent of the child population of Gaza has already been killed by Israeli bombardments and ground operations. Others risk being killed by starvation and disease with famine coming ever closer.  For children who have survived, the mental harm inflicted and the utter devastation of infrastructure including homes, schools, and hospitals has decimated their futures,” he added.