The Slaughter of Palestinian Children: A Genocide in Broad Daylight

The past week in Gaza has seen unspeakable horrors perpetrated against the most vulnerable members of Palestinian society: children. On May 23, the Israeli military launched a devastating air strike that annihilated the family of paediatrician Dr Alaa al-Najjar, killing seven of her 10 children and leaving two more buried beneath the rubble. This tragedy is just one of many in a long string of Israeli atrocities committed against Palestinian children, who have been caught in the crossfire of the ongoing conflict.

Key Takeaways:

• At least 18,000 Palestinian children have been killed since October 2023, with over 50,000 injured or killed since October.
• 1,300+ children have been killed and 3,738 injured since the end of the ceasefire on March 18, 2024.
• 82 percent of Jewish Israelis support expelling Palestinians from Gaza, making it increasingly difficult for Palestinians to trust Israeli military aid delivery stations.
• Leading Gaza human rights lawyer Raji Sourani stated that Israel's killing hands cannot also be the hand that feeds, highlighting the irony of Palestinians being asked to seek safety and aid from the same entity responsible for their suffering.
• Cases of incinerated and buried children continue to mount, with video footage of Ward al-Sheikh Khalil, a five-year-old girl, being pulled from beneath the ruins of a UN school classroom showing a heart-wrenching moment of a young girl being rescued amidst the chaos.
• UNICEF declared in December 2023 that the Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child and has stated that the current situation is "the most dire we have seen in decades".
• The international community has been accused of indifference, with many ignoring the cries of Palestinian children and turning a blind eye to their suffering.
• One small symbol of hope comes from 1,200 Israeli academics who signed a protest letter focused on Palestinian suffering, stating that "We can't say we didn't know".

Statistics:

• 18,000+ Palestinian children killed since October 2023.
• Over 50,000 children injured or killed since October.
• 1,300+ children killed and 3,738 injured since the end of the ceasefire on March 18, 2024.
• 82 percent of Jewish Israelis support expelling Palestinians from Gaza.
• 1,200 Israeli academics signed a protest letter focused on Palestinian suffering.

Sources:

• Al Jazeera
• UNICEF
• Leading Gaza human rights lawyer Raji Sourani
• Daniel Sheehan, editor at Literary Hub
• Danish diplomat Yaqeen Hammad
• The Institute for Palestine Studies USA