Israel killed 16k Palestinian children during Gaza war: Report

The media office said in a statement on Tuesday that the figure is part of the overall death toll of more than 39,000 people.

The office said nearly 90,000 Palestinians have been wounded in the war, mostly children and women. About 10,000 remain missing.

34 children have died due to malnutrition, while 17,000 children are living without one or both parents, the office said.

The latest figures come as a leading general medical journal has estimated that the death toll from Israel’s genocidal campaign could be 186,000 or even more, translating to 7.9 percent of the population.

In a report published earlier this month, the Lancet said the figure includes both direct and indirect deaths from the Israeli onslaught and those still buried under the rubble in Gaza.

The journal added it had applied a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death reported by the Gaza Health Ministry.

Flouting a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

More than 39,000 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 90,000 injured, according to local health authorities.

Over nine months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.