The Save the Children organization fears that as a result of Israel’s ground operation, the number of child victims in Gaza will increase even more.
At least 3,457 children have died in the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry said on Monday.
An additional ten children died in the West Bank and in Israel, says Save the Children in its latest announcement.
According to the organization, measured in child victims, the conflict that escalated into the Gaza war has been the world’s bloodiest conflict since 2019.
In three weeks, more children have died as a result of the war in Gaza than in any other conflict in the last more than three years.
Last year, a little less than 3,000 children died in all the world’s conflicts.
The numbers of the Save the Children organization are also based on the numbers announced by Israel and the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health. The numbers of the parties to the conflict could not be confirmed from an independent source, the organization points out.
– These three weeks have torn children away from their families and destroyed their lives in an unprecedented way. The casualty figures are appalling, says the organization’s country director for the occupied Palestinian territories Jason Lee says in the announcement.
Thousands of children are at risk of dying
According to the Save the Children organization, at least 6,360 children have been wounded in Gaza as a result of military operations.
In addition, 180 children have been injured in the West Bank and at least 74 children in Israel during the war.
The Save the Children organization points out that thousands of children are at risk of dying from their injuries in Gaza, as the humanitarian situation in the region is extremely weak.
According to the UN, one third of the hospitals in the Gaza Strip are not operational. In addition, power outages, fuel shortages and shortages of medical supplies plague Gazan hospitals.
Doctors Without Borders organization told last week, that pain relievers have run out in Gaza. Children have had to undergo medical procedures, such as amputations, without anesthetics.
The area is completely dependent on humanitarian aid. Since the escalation of the conflict, a total of 117 aid trucks have crossed the Rafah border crossing.
More than 11,000 people died in the bloody conflict
The organization calculated that about 40 percent of the dead in Gaza are children. In the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, children account for about a third of all deaths.
A thousand children reported missing in Gaza are believed to be buried under the rubble, so the death toll is likely much higher.
According to Israel, a total of more than 1,400 Israelis have died as a result of the attack launched by Hamas. Israel does not say how many of the dead are civilians and how many are soldiers. The Israeli army killed more than 1,500 Hamas fighters in the clashes at the beginning of the crisis.
In addition, Hamas has taken more than 200 Israelis hostage. There are also children among them.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 8,300 people have been killed in Israeli counter-attacks in the Gaza Strip.
Over the weekend, Israel announced that it would expand its ground operations. The Save the Children organization fears that the number of child victims will increase as a result of the ground operation.
The Save the Children organization calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to protect the children.