“Nothing justifies the killing of children,” the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said on Friday, as Israeli attacks on Gaza intensified further.
Recalling that at least 100 children are reported killed or injured every day in Gaza, since the Israeli attacks resumed on 18 March, Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X: “The resumption of the war is again robbing them of their childhood. The war has turned Gaza into a ‘no land’ for children.”
“This is a stain on our common humanity. Nothing justifies the killing of children wherever they are,” he added.
Lazzarini repeated the call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
A report by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics on Thursday said Israel has killed nearly 17,954 children in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. The toll includes 274 newborns, 876 infants under 1 year old, 17 children who froze to death in displacement tents, and 52 who died from starvation and malnutrition.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Sunday to escalate attacks as efforts proceed to implement US President Donald Trump’s plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza.
More than 50,600 Palestinians have been killed in the enclave since October 2023, most of them women and children.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its conduct in Gaza.
