NYN | News
Seven children were martyred in the past few hours by Israeli occupation forces while they were waiting in line to receive drinking water from a distribution site in the Gaza Strip.
This horrific incident, confirmed by the Executive Director of UNICEF, is not the first of its kind. Just a few days earlier, other women and children were killed while waiting for food aid.
These bloody events, which continue to occur amid deafening international silence, prompted the Executive Director of UNICEF to call on Israel to review its rules of engagement and to respect international humanitarian law—especially the principle of civilian protection in conflict zones.
Despite the organization documenting the growing number of child victims, its appeals have been met only with an escalation in violence.
For his part, UNICEF spokesperson in Palestine, Kazem Abu Khalaf, stated that no fewer than 27 children are being killed daily in the Gaza Strip since the Israeli war on the territory began in October 2023. He emphasized that there is no justification for this excessive killing.
As another stark indicator of the catastrophe, the month of May alone saw over 5,000 children in Gaza fall into malnutrition, a shocking figure that reflects the collapse of the food system and healthcare services due to the ongoing blockade and the prevention of basic supplies—including infant formula—from entering.
According to verified data from Gaza’s Government Media Office, in collaboration with UNICEF and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over 18,000 children have been killed since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on Gaza.
Additionally, 66 children died solely from malnutrition last month.
This reality leaves no room for doubt: children in Gaza are being pushed toward death by hunger and thirst, or they are losing their lives in places that are supposed to be safe—such as food and water distribution centers.
What is happening is not only a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, but an ongoing crime against childhood itself, demanding urgent and effective international action—far beyond statements of condemnation—toward concrete measures to halt this escalating humanitarian disaster.
