The suffering of children in the Gaza Strip continues amid increasing violence and lack of protection,which has resulted in exacerbating the humanitarian tragedy that has been ongoing for about 15 months.
In a report published on its official website, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced the killing of at least 74 children in the Gaza Strip during the first week of 2025.
UNICEF stated that children were killed in several incidents where mass killing took place, including night attacks targetting Gaza City, Khan Yunis and Al-Mawasi, which had been unilaterally declared a “safe zone” in the southern Gaza Strip.
It pointed out that the latest attack, which took place last Tuesday, resulted in the killing of five children in Al-Mawasi alone.
“For the children of Gaza, the new year has brought more death and suffering from attacks, deprivation, and increasing exposure to the cold,” said Unicef Executive Director Catherine Russell.
“A ceasefire is long overdue. Too many children have been killed or lost loved ones in a tragic start to the new year,” she added.
UNICEF’s report highlighted that “with more than a million children living in makeshift tents, and with many families displaced over the past 15 months, children face extreme risks”.
“Since December 26, eight infants and newborns have reportedly died from hypothermia – a major threat to young children who are unable to regulate their body temperature,” it added.
“Unicef has long warned that inadequate shelter, lack of access to nutrition and healthcare, the dire sanitary situation, and now the winter weather put the lives of all children in Gaza at risk. Newborns and children with medical conditions are especially vulnerable,” noted Russell.
UNICEF warned that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is out of control, noting that the humanitarian aid trucks reaching the Strip are absolutely insufficient to meet the basic needs of families, given the near-total collapse of public order and the continued looting of humanitarian aid.
The ongoing massacres against children in Gaza is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, and requires urgent action to be taken by the international community to put an end to these crimes, ensure the protection of children from direct targeting, and prevent their use as tools of pressure.
