On World Children's Day, Gaza children are in shrouds, under rubble
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The Israeli occupation persistently perpetrates brutal massacres against civilians in Gaza, with children mainly bearing the brunt.
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Palestinian children wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip are brought to a hospital in Deir al-Balah on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023 (AP)
On November 20, the United Nations and the world celebrate World Children’s Day. However, this day comes while the Gaza Strip faces a grim reality, with thousands of children killed by the ongoing Israeli occupation airstrikes for over a month.
The toll stands at over 5,500 martyred children and approximately 9,000 injured in Gaza; i.e. one Palestinian child killed every 10 minutes or about one out of every 200 children in the Gaza Strip.
Even the children who survive are faced with life-changing conditions.
An additional 1,800 children are missing under the rubble, most of them presumed dead.
Moreover, many have lost their families and homes due to the brutal bombing of their once-safe residential neighborhoods.
In this context, Hamas issued a statement saying that as the world celebrates Children’s Day, the Israeli occupation, its government, and its fascist forces persist in committing heinous crimes, including horrific massacres against children in the Gaza Strip.
The statement further expressed, "The terrorist occupation exacerbates the suffering of our sick, wounded, injured, and premature children through the siege, bombing, and systematic destruction of hospitals. This is coupled with a policy of starvation, thirst, and forced displacement, in blatant violation of all human values, customs, laws, and international covenants."
Hamas emphasized in its statement that the United Nations and international institutions, by celebrating World Children’s Day, bear political, moral, and humanitarian responsibility to actively work and take decisive actions to halt the massacres and genocidal war against innocent children in Palestine.
It called for the designation of the occupation entity as a terrorist organization and listing it among the internationally recognized terrorist organizations, because it continuously violates the rights of children in war zones, adding that all occupation leaders and officials must be prosecuted for their crimes against children.
It is noteworthy that three out of 39 premature babies have tragically passed away as Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest hospital, suffered from a fuel shortage putting the generators keeping their incubators running out of service.
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said in a presser in Geneva on November 1 that "Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of children," adding, "It's a living hell for everyone else."
The death toll is constantly rising amid the Israeli genocide in the Strip.
Elder further tackled the issue of "Israel" blocking water to the Strip, as more than 1 million children are now at risk of dying from dehydration as a result of the Israeli blockade. “Our gravest fears about the reported numbers of children killed becoming dozens, then hundreds, and ultimately thousands were realized in just a fortnight,” Elder expressed.
With Gaza’s children “going through a nightmare,” Elder said, "Israel" must end its blockade of the territory, “and if there is no ceasefire – no water, no medicine, and no release of abducted children – then we hurtle toward even greater horrors afflicting innocent children.”
