Israeli Occupation Kills 21,500 Children in Gaza

Gaza - July 3, 2026 (WAFA) – The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) stated that the ceasefire announced in October 2025 has become a "cruel and deadly illusion" for the children of Gaza, given the continued killing and injuries, and the restrictions on medical and food supplies.

According to statistics from the Government Media Office in Gaza, Israeli occupation forces have killed 21,500 children since October 8, 2023, up to July of this year.

Among the martyrs are more than 520 infants born during the Israeli war of extermination, according to the same source.

Additionally, 1,022 children under the age of one were killed.

A report by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics showed that children constituted approximately 30% of those killed and 26% of those injured up to the end of 2025.

Furthermore, 10,500 children suffered life-altering injuries, and more than 1,000 children underwent amputations.

Nearly 4,000 children face the risk of death unless they receive urgent medical evacuation for treatment outside the Gaza Strip, given the shortage of medicines and medical supplies.

The killing of children did not cease with the implementation of the ceasefire agreement on October 10, 2025.

UNICEF stated on June 19 that 265 Palestinian children had been killed in the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire was declared, averaging almost one child per day for more than eight months.

UNICEF added that more than 400 children were injured during the same period, many with life-altering injuries, noting that some were killed inside their homes, tents, schools, or while playing.

The organization warned against the normalization of child casualties during the ceasefire.

On November 10, 2023, Israeli occupation forces stormed Al-Nasr Children's Hospital in western Gaza City, forcing medical staff to leave under fire and refusing to evacuate premature babies, resulting in the deaths of five of them, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

After the Israeli occupation forces withdrew from the Al-Nasr neighborhood, the bodies of the five infants were found decomposing inside incubators and on hospital beds, having been denied medical treatment.

Despite the ceasefire agreement, UNICEF reported on June 19 that 265 children had been killed in the Gaza Strip since the agreement came into effect, an average of almost one child per day.

The organization added that more than 400 children had been injured during the same period, including some who sustained life-altering injuries.

UNICEF confirmed that some children were killed by shelling or gunfire inside their homes, tents, schools, or while playing.

UNICEF warned against the normalization of killing and injuring children.

Since the start of the genocide, 157 children have died from hunger and malnutrition, and another 25 from the cold and frost inside displacement camps.

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics cited a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), issued on March 18, stating that more than 3,700 children aged between 6 and 59 months were admitted to malnutrition treatment programs during February 2026.

Among them, more than 600 children suffered from severe acute malnutrition, a condition requiring urgent medical and nutritional treatment.

Although the figures were lower than in January, when the number of children admitted for treatment exceeded 4,600, including 890 severe cases, the numbers still indicate the continuation of the food crisis, according to the Bureau.

The data shows that 64% of children consume only two or fewer food groups daily, while more than 90% do not receive the minimum nutritional diversity.

More than 60% of children suffer from acute malnutrition, threatening their physical and mental development.

The agency quoted UNICEF as saying that more than 58,000 children in the Gaza Strip have lost one or both parents as a result of the war.

These children face displacement, poverty, and hunger, while some bear responsibilities beyond their years amidst a lack of education and healthcare.

Since October 8, 2023, Israeli occupation forces have killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and injured over 173,000, in addition to destroying approximately 90% of the civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.

=Lana=