UNRWA: One Palestinian Child Killed Every Hour in Gaza
"The clock is ticking for these children. They are losing their lives, their futures, and their hope", said Lazzarini.
Gaza (Quds News Network)- Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini reported that one Palestinian child is killed every hour in the besieged strip. Since the genocide began, 14,500 children have been killed, according to UNICEF figures.
“These are not numbers,” Lazzarini wrote on social media. “These are lives cut short. Killing children cannot be justified.” He added that surviving children face severe physical and emotional scars. “Deprived of learning, boys and girls in Gaza sift through the rubble. The clock is ticking for these children. They are losing their lives, their futures, and their hope.”
A Gaza-based NGO, supported by the War Child Alliance, surveyed the psychological impact on children. The findings are grim: 92% of children cannot accept their current reality, 79% suffer from nightmares, and 73% exhibit symptoms of aggression. Helen Pattinson, chief executive of War Child UK, called Gaza “one of the most horrific places in the world for children.” She highlighted the destruction of homes, schools, and hospitals alongside the invisible but severe psychological wounds children endure.
UNICEF also addressed the crisis, stating that Gaza’s children have endured “unimaginable horrors.” It noted that many have lost their homes, families, and futures. Survivors are left with deep emotional scars that could last a lifetime.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reported even higher child death tolls. It found that 44% of the 45,300 Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7, 2023, were children. The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed these numbers, adding that over 107,000 people have been injured, with at least 11,000 presumed dead under the rubble.
Israel began its genocide in Gaza following the Al-Aqsa Flood military operation on October 7, where it claimed 1,200 Israelis were killed. However, Israeli media have suggested that many deaths were caused by “friendly fire.”
The ongoing genocide has caused famine, with children bearing the brunt of starvation and malnutrition. Nearly two million Palestinians have been forcibly displaced, most of them crowded into southern Gaza under dire conditions.
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