The Number of Children Killed in Three Weeks of the Hamas-Israel War is Higher Than the Global Conflict in the Last Three Years

Officers rushed to take the children victims of the Israeli attack on Gaza into hospital. (Wikimedia Commons/Palestinian News & Information Agency (Wafa) in contact with APAimages)

JAKARTA - The number of children killed in the Hamas-Israel war in the Gaza Strip, Palestine in the last three weeks, is more than the number of children killed in global conflicts throughout the world in the last three years, according to Save The Children.

Referring to the Palestinian health authority, the NGO said 3,324 children had died in Gaza, since Hamas' attack on the southern region of Israel on October 7, while 36 other children died in the West Bank, as quoted by Al Jazeera, October 30.

"The numbers are horrific and with violence not only continuing but also widespread in Gaza today, more and more children are still at great risk," said Jason Lee, Save the Children's director for the occupied Palestinian territories, as reported by CNN.

Save The Children according to the UN Secretary General's annual report on children and armed conflict, as many as 2,985 children were killed in 24 countries in 2022, 2,515 were killed in 2021, and 2,674 in 2020. In 2019, the UN reported 4,019 children were killed in conflict in the whole world.

Regarding the current conditions, Save The Children issued a call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

"A ceasefire is the only way to ensure their safety. The international community must put society before politics. Every day spent arguing leads to children being killed and injured. Children must be protected at all times, especially when they seek safety at school and hospitals," the organization shouted.

It is known that Israel bombarded and carried out a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, after 1,400 of its citizens were killed as a result of Hamas attacks.

As of Sunday, the death toll in Gaza had risen to 7,960 according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah, citing data from sources in the Hamas-controlled enclave, since the group launched attacks into southern Israel and killed around 1,400 of its citizens.

The ministry report said 73 percent of those killed were from vulnerable populations, including children, women, and the elderly. In addition, the death toll includes 116 medical personnel.