27 Children Die Every Day
30 May 2025 – Union for Justice Foundation
The harrowing image of the child Ward Jalal al-Sheikh Khalil emerging from the flames and among charred bodies – crying and screaming -has refocused attention on the violations suffered by children in the Gaza Strip and on the immense hardships endured by this vulnerable population.
Ward’s plight, having lost her mother and six siblings when the occupation forces bombed a school sheltering displaced persons in the al-Daraj neighborhood in central Gaza, is tragically similar to that of thousands of children in the Strip. The war has claimed their lives and turned their small bodies into charred remains and severed limbs, leaving behind deep psychological wounds that are difficult to heal.
Since the beginning of the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip on 7 October 2023, the total number of Palestinian martyrs up to 27 May has reached approximately 54,000, with more than 123,000 injured; a figure that continues to change due to relentless, round-the-clock killing.
According to an official statistic reviewed by the Union for Justice Foundation, over 16,000 of the martyrs are children, amounting to 31% of all fatalities. This translates to no fewer than 27 children killed daily. Children also constitute 30% of the wounded, with 33,900 child casualties out of the overall number of injured.
Official Palestinian statistics indicate that 825 of the child martyrs were infants under the age of one. An additional 274children were both born and killed during the current war on Gaza.
Notably, the largest share of child martyrs, 36.8%, fell within the 6-to-12-year-old age bracket. The statistics further show that more than 35,000 children now live without either both parents or one parent.
Hunger Decimates Children
Beyond the killing and injuries caused by incessant Israeli bombardment, this group suffers disproportionately from the food blockade imposed by the occupying power, which has prevented the entry of all types of humanitarian aid since 2 March. The resultant widespread famine has drastically affected children.
Just a few days ago, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported the death of Mustafa Yassin due to starvation, compounded by the blockade and severe malnutrition—making him one of 29 children and elderly persons to die of hunger-related causes in Gaza within a single week.
The World Food Programme has confirmed that over 70,000 children in the Gaza Strip face acute malnutrition, while a United Nations official warned that 14,000 infants could die if aid fails to reach Gaza urgently.
According to a report issued by 17 non-governmental organizations and a United Nations agency, the vast majority of children in Gaza suffer from extreme food scarcity. This situation, combined with severe limitations on health services, scarce clean water, and inadequate sanitation, is anticipated to lead to a sharp rise in acute malnutrition in northern Gaza, as well as in Gaza Governorate and Rafah.
The report further predicts that an alarming 71,000 children and 17,000 mothers will urgently require treatment for severe malnutrition.
According to the Gaza Government Information Office, more than 3,500 children under the age of five are at imminent risk of dying from hunger. Another 290,000 children hover on the brink, and 1.1 million children daily lack the minimum food necessary for survival. Over 70,000 children have reportedly been hospitalized due to acute malnutrition, raising fears that the resulting loss of life could surpass famines historically recorded in Somalia, Yemen, and South Sudan.
Starvation Under International Law
Israel’s officially and systematically implemented “starvation policy” is widely recognized as a prohibited practice under numerous international legal instruments. It is considered a grave violation of both international humanitarian law and human rights law.
Key legal frameworks that address this crime include the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, notably the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949), which prohibits targeting civilians by denying them essential supplies. Customary international law also bans the use of starvation against civilian populations in both international and non-international armed conflicts. Moreover, UN Security Council Resolution 2417 explicitly condemns the use of starvation as a weapon of warfare.
Among the Rubble
In addition to war and famine ravaging Gaza’s population, the widespread destruction it causes poses another grave threat to children, whose families often have little choice but to live amid the rubble of their demolished homes.
Local reports indicate that many children have lost their lives as a result of collapsing buildings or falling debris while living or playing near these ruins. Another peril children face is the presence of unexploded Israeli bombs and shells.
A Catastrophic State of Mental Health
A study conducted by a mental health center in Gaza revealed that 96% of children in the Gaza Strip feel that death is imminent. Some 87% display intense fear, while 79% suffer from nightmares.
The study further indicates that the persistent warfare, bombing, repeated displacement, and near escapes from death have inflicted severe psychological distress on these highly vulnerable children, leaving their families on the verge of collapse.
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