FACTBOX: The heavy toll of the Israeli war in Gaza on children

Mohamed Hatem , Thursday 8 Feb 2024

The Israeli war and deadly blockade on the Gaza Strip have had catastrophic consequences for more than 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, hitting children - who make up 47 percent of the population – especially hard.

Children walk past clothes hanging out to dry on a laundry line along a street in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 6, 2024. AFP

Israel killed nearly 27,500 Palestinians and wounded nearly 70,000, mostly women and children. (Source: Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza).
Around 700,000 children have been affected by Israel’s war on Gaza. (Source: Euro-Med Monitor).
Over 12,100 children have been killed in Gaza since 7 October, averaging 250 per day, according to Khaled Quzmar, General Director of Defense for Children International–Palestine (DCIP).
More than 8,000 people remain trapped under rubble, increasing the risk of further child casualties. (Source: Khaled Quzmar, DCIP).
A child is killed every 10 minutes in Gaza, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Over 18,000 Palestinian children were injured in ongoing Israeli attacks, with many losing limbs and sustaining severe burns. (Source: Euro-Med Monitor).
Hundreds of thousands of children have become homeless after Israel destroyed or damaged 640,000 residential units. (Source: Euro-Med Monitor).
Most children have lost all access to primary healthcare after Israel destroyed most hospitals and medical facilities in the strip.
Thousands of pregnant women in Gaza have lost all access to decent nutrition and prenatal care for their unborn.
In the West Bank, 96 Palestinian children were killed by Israeli forces and settlers since 7 October, including 15 in 2024. (Source: Khaled Quzmar, DCIP).
At least 121 Palestinian children were killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank last year. (Source: Khaled Quzmar, DCIP).
Two hundred and four children were held in Israeli prisons in October 2023, decreasing to 137 after a Hamas-Israel exchange. (Source: Khaled Quzmar, DCIP).
Israeli forces have withheld the bodies of at least 28 Palestinian children since June 2016; 25 bodies are still withheld. (Source: Khaled Quzmar, DCIP).
UNICEF estimates that 1 million Palestinian children in Gaza face starvation due to the Israeli siege.
Over 130,000 children under the age of two lack critical nutrition in Gaza. (Source: UNICEF).
7,000 to 8,000 severely malnourished children are at risk of death without immediate treatment. (Source: UNICEF).
Families are struggling to find baby formula and diapers for their infants - 60 percent of Gazan infants were formula-fed before the war. (Source: UNICEF).
Families are having a hard time finding drinking water for hundreds of thousands of children after Israel bombed all water plants.
24,000 to 25,000 children in Gaza lost one or both parents; 640,000 had homes destroyed or damaged. (Source: Euro-Med Monitor).
Four in five Gaza children reported depression, sadness, or fear before the war. (Source: Euro-Med Monitor).
All Palestinian children in Gaza have been denied basic education after Israel destroyed tens of schools in the strip.