The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed on Wednesday. March 19, 2025, that more than 170 children were killed during the intense Israeli aggression on Gaza in the early hours of Tuesday. This attack resulted in the killing of more than 400, including 80 women, in one of the deadliest mass killings crimes against civilians since the start of the war.
Rescue teams and paramedics remain unable to recover many victims remaining under the rubble due to a severe shortage of equipment, fuel, and heavy machinery, leading to a rising number of casualties.
OCHA reported that Gaza’s healthcare system is on the verge of collapse, with 13 hospitals and 4 field hospitals completely out of service. Currently, only 22 hospitals and 6 field hospitals are partially operational, and 4 field hospitals functioning at full capacity. This dire situation makes it impossible to provide adequate medical care to the huge number of injured individuals.
Dr Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Al-Shifa Hospital, described the situation as “catastrophic,” stressing that medical teams are facing an unprecedented influx of victims without the necessary medical resources or essential medicines.
OCHA has also warned that over one million Palestinians in Gaza are at risk of severe food shortages as supplies running out at an alarming rate. Without the immediate resumption of aid deliveries, at least 80 out of 170 public kitchens will be forced to shut down within two weeks, raising the threat of an unprecedented famine.
Article 6 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child states that “every child has the inherent right to life.” This right is being brutally violated by the Israeli occupation before the world’s eyes, and is being met with disgraceful silence. Furthermore, the deliberate targeting of healthcare infrastructure and obstruction of aid deliveries constitute acts of collective punishment, a crime recognised by the International Criminal Court as punishable under international law.
