Israel kills over 100 children in Gaza amid catastrophic conditions since ‘ceasefire,’ says UNICEF
Mahmoud al-Aqraa, a week-old infant, and 1-year-old Mohammed Basyouni have become the latest children to be consumed by the harsh winter conditions, which have been exacerbated by Israeli depravity.
Israel continues to kill Palestinian children at a rapacious pace, despite the ongoing supposed “ceasefire” which came into effect on October 10 last year, a UNICEF spokesman has revealed.
“More than 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire of early October,” UNICEF’s James Elder said in a press briefing on Tuesday. “That is roughly one girl or boy killed every day. During a ceasefire.”
Elder highlighted that the “ceasefire” has barely improved the living conditions of Gaza’s genocide survivors, who, after enduring more than two years of non-stop airstrikes, tank shells, and sniper fire, continue to endure extremely perilous conditions, as the Israelis persist in suffocating the flow of aid into the enclave and kill people with complete impunity.
“Life in Gaza remains suffocating,” Elder added. “Survival is still conditional. Whilst the bombings and shooting have slowed during the ceasefire, they have not stopped.”
Palestinian children remain the most vulnerable, as elders are unable to provide them with necessary nutrition and protection, while the Israelis target them daily, using the “ceasefire” as a ruse to shield their actions from sustained international scrutiny.
“What the world now calls ‘calm’ would be considered a crisis anywhere else,” said Elder. “Unfortunately, the ceasefire has had an unintended effect: Palestinian children in Gaza have disappeared from view.”
Elder acknowledged that the number of killed Palestinian children remains an undercount. “Since the ceasefire UNICEF has recorded reports of at least 60 boys and 40 girls killed in the Gaza Strip,” he said. “The 100 figure only reflects incidents where sufficient details have been available to record, so the actual number of Palestinian children killed is expected to be higher. Hundreds of children have been wounded.
“I sat with one such victim a few days ago. Nine-year-old Abid Al Rahman was collecting wood with his friends in Khan Younis when an airstrike hit. Shrapnel ripped into his eye — that shard of explosive metal is still lodged there.”
Indeed, the Gaza Health Ministry has reported that children account for 165 of the 442 Palestinians killed since the start of the so-called “ceasefire.”
Of these children, at least six have frozen to death due to a lack of shelter in the freezing winter as chilly winds and rains continue to batter the flimsy tents that now dot the Gaza Strip after the Israelis destroyed nearly all the buildings. Mahmoud al-Aqraa, a week-old infant, and one-year-old Mohammed Basyouni have become the latest children to be consumed by the harsh winter conditions, which have been exacerbated by unceasing Israeli depravity.
“We’ve had children die of hypothermia again in the last few days. We’ve now gone to six children who died of hypothermia just in this winter,” Elder was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera on Tuesday.
Aside from regularly killing Palestinians despite the Trump-fronted truce, the Israelis have kept a tight leash on what and who enters the besieged enclave. There remains a chronic shortage of food, fuel, and medicines, while prospects for the reconstruction of the devastated enclave are not being discussed.
“At the same time, as strikes continue, severe restrictions remain on many essentials in Gaza — from some essential medical supplies to cooking gas, fuel to parts for lifesaving water and sanitation systems,” Elder added.
While continuous bombings, demolitions, sniper fire, and the crushing blockade have reduced all Palestinians in Gaza to a life of abject misery, children remain the worst affected — with no efforts made to ensure their safety, further deepening the trauma they endure amid ongoing Israeli savagery.
“Even with modest gains, two years of war have left life for Gaza’s children unimaginably hard,” said Elder. “Children still live in fear, and their psychological damage remains untreated — becoming deeper and harder to heal the longer this goes on.
“A ceasefire that slows the bombs is progress — but one that still buries children is not enough.”
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The Israelis are evil bastards. Never forgive, never forget.
Malnutrition and hypothermia as causes of death for infants and children. It's indicative of how aggressively the Zionists want to tear down the foundations of Palestinian society.