UNITED NATIONS — The ongoing conflict in Gaza has inflicted severe harm on the region’s youth, with reports indicating that over 13,000 children have lost their lives, around 25,000 have sustained injuries, and at least another 25,000 have been hospitalized for malnutrition, based on information from United Nations agencies.
James Kariuki, the deputy U.N. ambassador from Britain, pointed out in a recent Security Council meeting that “Gaza has become the deadliest place in the world to be a child.” He emphasized that the young population of Gaza did not instigate the conflict but are paying the heaviest toll.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs revealed that, as of Thursday, out of 40,717 Palestinian fatalities recorded in Gaza, one-third — approximately 13,319 — were children. The data was provided by Gaza’s Ministry of Health, as confirmed on Friday.
UNICEF, the U.N.’s children’s agency, noted that the estimate of 25,000 injured children was derived from collaborative research conducted with Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Additionally, U.N. deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed reported that nearly 19,000 children experienced hospitalization due to acute malnutrition within the four months leading up to December. This information was compiled by UNICEF, utilizing data collected by U.N. personnel in Gaza focusing on nutritional needs alongside various other U.N. bodies.
The U.N. has also highlighted that a significant number of children have become orphans or have lost contact with their parents amid the 15-month-long conflict.
Yasmine Sherif, who leads the U.N. global fund Education Cannot Wait, stated during a press conference that around 650,000 school-age children have been absent from classes, necessitating a complete overhaul of the education system due to extensive destruction across Gaza.
Diplomats from Britain, France, among other nations, also acknowledged the impact on Israeli children, who have faced deaths, injuries, and abductions resulting from Hamas’s assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023—many are still held captive.
Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon questioned the Security Council’s focus on the situation in Gaza, asking if it considered the suffering of Israeli children who were “mutilated, tortured and murdered” on October 7, including the 30 who were kidnapped and the numerous others displaced due to extensive destruction of their homes.
He described the trauma experienced by these children as “beyond imagination,” criticizing Thursday’s discussion on children in Gaza as “an affront to common sense.” Danon accused Hamas of transforming Gaza into “the world’s largest terror base,” claiming that they use children as human shields.
He concluded by stating, “The children of Gaza could have had a future filled with opportunity. Instead, they are trapped in a cycle of violence and despair, all because of Hamas, not because of Israel.”
