The three-week war between Israel and Palestinian militias in Gaza has caused more children to die than the annual total of children killed in conflict zones worldwide since 2019, the NGO Save the Children denounced on Sunday.

Since the war broke out on October 7, more than 3,340 children and adolescents have been killed in Gaza, as well as 33 in the West Bank and another 29 in Israel, a figure "higher than the number of children killed in armed conflicts worldwide over the course of a year" in some twenty countries, the organization said.

The number of children killed in the Gaza Strip accounts for 40 percent of the total number of Palestinians killed in the entire enclave by Israeli bombardments, which now number more than 8,000, according to data from the Health Ministry in the Strip, controlled by the Islamist group Hamas.

In addition to this figure, "another 1,000 children are missing in Gaza, who are presumed to have been buried under the rubble," so "the death toll is likely to be much higher," Save the Children said.

According to their data, more than 6,300 children have been injured in Gaza, 180 in the West Bank and 74 in Israel.

"Three weeks of violence have torn children from their families and shattered their lives at an unimaginable rate," Jason Lee, Save the Children's Palestinian director, said in the statement.

"The numbers are shocking, and as the violence not only continues, but is spreading in Gaza right now, many are still at grave risk," he said.

"The death of one child is one too many, but these are grave violations of epic proportions," so "a ceasefire is the only way to ensure their safety," Lee added.

He also appealed to the international community to "put people before politics" and warned that "every day spent debating leaves children dead and injured."

"Children must be protected at all times, especially when seeking safety in schools and hospitals," Lee said.

The war between Israel and Gaza began on October 7, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel that killed more than 1,400 people, wounded more than 5,400 and kidnapped 230 people at the hands of the Islamists.

On the 23rd day of fighting, the Israeli army sent more troops to Gaza on Sunday to continue the expansion of its ground operations, which began on Friday with the deployment of tanks.

In light of this, Save the Children "is seriously concerned that the expansion of the ground operation in Gaza will inevitably lead to more fatalities."

  • War in Israel
  • Israel
  • Gaza Strip