Gaza’s Children: The Silent Sufferers of an Ongoing Conflict
Save the Children recently published a harrowing report revealing that over 20,000 children in Gaza are either buried, trapped, detained, or missing amid the ongoing conflict. The report sheds light on the grim reality that thousands of Palestinian children are presumed to be trapped under rubble, buried in unmarked graves, severely injured by explosives,
Gathering and verifying information in Gaza’s current conditions is nearly impossible, according to the report. Despite these challenges, estimates suggest that at least 17,000 children are unaccompanied and separated, approximately 4,000 are missing under the rubble, and an unknown number are interred in mass graves.
Since the conflict escalated on October 7, over 14,000 children have been killed in Gaza. Many others suffer from severe malnutrition, so much so that they lack the energy even to cry, as reported by UNICEF.
The violence in Gaza since October has claimed over 37,000 lives, including thousands of children. This surge in casualties followed an attack in Israel by Palestinian armed groups, which resulted in over a thousand deaths, including at least 33 children, according to the Save the Children report.
The situation is not confined to Gaza alone; approximately 250 Palestinian children are also missing in the occupied West Bank as of June 9.
Families are enduring unimaginable torment, not knowing the fate of their loved ones. “No parent should have to dig through rubble or mass graves to find their child’s body. No child should be alone and unprotected in a war zone. No child should be detained or held hostage,” said Khaled Quzmar, general director of Defense for Children International Palestine.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Quzmar highlighted the unprecedented impact of the conflict on Gaza’s children, comparing it to the devastation seen during World War II. He described the situation as a “war against children,” emphasizing that children in Gaza are the primary victims of the Israeli actions.
International criticism is intensifying in light of the escalating death toll and the worsening humanitarian crisis. Nevertheless, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Sunday that he would not agree to any ceasefire that requires halting Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
As Palestinians mourn their children killed in the bombings, historian Vijay Prashad criticized the perceived double standards in international reactions. He suggested that if the same tragedy were occurring in Ukraine, U.S. media would be vociferously condemning the war. Prashad questioned, “Don’t Palestinian lives matter? Gaza shows there’s no ‘rules-based international order,’ it’s just U.S. rhetoric.”