The Hemaiah Center for Human Rights has issued a deeply alarming report on violations committed by the Israeli military against children in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.
The Hemaiah Center for Human Rights has issued a deeply alarming report on violations committed by the Israeli military against children in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023. The report confirms that children have remained among the groups suffering the greatest loss of life during the ongoing war, with thousands killed and injured and hundreds of thousands deprived of their basic rights.
In a fact sheet published on Saturday under the title “Genocide,” the center said its staff working in the Gaza Strip had monitored and documented the killing of 21,745 children under the age of 18 since the beginning of the war. It also recorded approximately 46,000 cases of injuries among children, including 11,000 cases involving amputations. The center said the violations were not limited to killing and injury but had extended to hunger, disease, forced displacement, and deprivation of healthcare, education, and adequate housing amid the continued deterioration of humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip.
The center said 123 children had died as a result of malnutrition and dehydration during the war. It also documented 293 deaths among newborn and premature infants amid the collapse of the healthcare system, power outages, and shortages of medicines and medical equipment. The center noted that approximately 700,000 children have been deprived of basic rights, including healthcare, education, and adequate housing, since October 7, while nearly 300,000 children under the age of five are suffering from malnutrition and hunger. The center further said that, in addition to hunger and disease, children face the risk of epidemics and outbreaks of illness. Forced displacement, detention, and child labor are also compounding the humanitarian, social, and psychological impact of the war on an entire generation.
The Center for Human Rights emphasized that protecting children during armed conflicts is not optional but a legal obligation established under international human rights law and international humanitarian law. These obligations are based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Geneva Conventions and their protocols, as well as provisions of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The fact sheet stated that the scale and pattern of documented violations against children in Gaza require independent and transparent international investigations and accountability for those responsible for serious violations of international law.
The center called on the international community to take immediate and practical measures to protect children in the Gaza Strip, allow injured children to be evacuated for medical treatment, ensure access to food and medicine, and guarantee the delivery of humanitarian aid. It also urged efforts to restore children's rights to education and healthcare. The Center for Human Rights strongly urged the United Nations and the international community to take immediate action to stop violations against civilians and children in the Gaza Strip and ensure that those responsible for crimes and serious violations do not escape accountability.
