The Gaza Strip, once a part of Palestinian life, has today become a place where the fear of death looms at every moment. The conflict between Israel and Hamas, which began in 2023, has taken a horrific turn by 2024-2025. This war has not only destroyed Gaza’s infrastructure, but also ruined the lives of millions of people. The most painful thing is that the biggest price of this war is being borne by innocent children, who neither understand nor are part of this war.
According to reports from human rights organizations and international media, more than 50,000 children have been killed or seriously injured in this war that began after Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, released a report in May 2025 stating that 1,309 children had been killed and 3,738 injured in Gaza since the ceasefire ended on 18 March 2025. Earlier, more than 12,000 children had been killed in the first three months of 2023 alone. Schools, hospitals and refugee camps in Gaza are also no longer safe. On 10 July 2025, an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah killed 15 innocent people, including 8 children.
These people were standing in line to receive food outside a health clinic run by an American aid group.
Israeli actions: Targeting or human rights violations?
The Israeli military defended the strikes, saying that they had targeted a Hamas fighter who had taken part in the attack on 7 October 2023. They also said they were investigating the Deir al-Balah attack and regretted the civilian casualties. But the question is, if the target was only a Hamas fighter, why were innocent children and women standing outside a health clinic for food killed?
Human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have described Israel’s actions as “human rights violations.” Their reports state that Israeli attacks are deliberately targeting civilian areas, such as schools, hospitals and refugee camps, in clear violation of international humanitarian law.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, more than 56,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza between October 7, 2023 and July 2025, including 4,506 children, 3,027 women and 678 elderly people. In addition, 21,048 people have been injured and 1,950 people, including 1,050 children, are missing. On 29 June 2025, another horrific attack killed 81 Palestinians, including a large number of women and children.
The silence of the UN and the US: A question
The silence of the United Nations (UN) and the US on this issue has further fueled anger around the world. Organizations such as UNICEF have expressed concern over the child deaths and described Gaza as “the most dangerous place for children”, but there has been no concrete action by the UN Security Council. The US, Israel’s biggest ally, has also often supported Israel’s right to “self-defense” rather than strongly condemning these attacks. On May 21, 2025, the UN warned that 14,000 children could die of starvation if aid did not reach the war-torn areas of Gaza within 48 hours. But despite this warning, the US and other Western countries have remained silent instead of putting pressure on Israel.
What international press reports say
International media has consistently covered the situation in Gaza. Al-Jazeera reported on June 30, 2025 that 81 Palestinians, many of them women and children, were killed in attacks on Gaza on the orders of Israeli military chief Benjamin Netanyahu. The BBC reported that Gaza hospitals are not treating injured children due to lack of electricity, fuel and medical supplies.
The Guardian reported that the “humanitarian crisis” in Gaza has reached such a level that people are now unable to get food, water and a safe place to live. The newspaper also mentioned that Israeli airstrikes have destroyed schools in Gaza, due to which children’s education has come to a complete halt.
Human rights organizations have described the situation in Gaza as a “crime against humanity”. The rights group Defense for Children International-Palestine said that 1,873 children were killed in 2023, of which 40% of the deaths were children. Human Rights Watch said in a report that Israeli attacks have completely destroyed Gaza’s health system, due to which the injured are not getting timely treatment. UNICEF warned that every day, every hour, a child is being killed or injured somewhere in Gaza. Places like schools, hospitals and refugee camps, which should have been safe, have now become killing fields.
