In a distressing revelation, a human rights documentation released on Tuesday has reported that Israeli airstrikes have been resulting in the tragic death of an estimated 100 children daily in the Gaza Strip since they commenced on the seventh of this month.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, in a statement obtained by the German News Agency (DPA), disclosed that they have verified the deaths of 1,046 Palestinian children up until Monday night. In addition, there are estimations of another 167 children trapped under the rubble of destroyed residential buildings, as a direct result of Israeli strikes, who have not been retrieved so far.
Furthermore, the monitor has documented a staggering 3,250 children who have sustained various injuries. Notably, at least 1,240 of these injured children require specialized medical care, grappling with excruciating pain due to the relentless Israeli strikes on residential neighborhoods and civilian facilities. This marks a blatant violation of the international and humanitarian laws that ensure the protection of children.
The children of Gaza have been severely traumatized since the onset of the current Israeli assault. They have emerged as the primary victims of what is described as an ongoing “massacre” against the Palestinians. Lives have been snuffed out, families torn apart, and the fallout on the children has been catastrophic.
It is highlighted that many of the children who have miraculously survived the onslaught have either lost one or both parents or have had their homes damaged or destroyed. They have been compelled to flee with their families, escaping Israeli strikes or heeding evacuation warnings.
The documentation showcases harrowing images and videos depicting shattered young skulls, shrapnel piercing tiny bodies and hearts, all amid the scattered debris of destroyed buildings that crushed hundreds of innocent lives.
Most of the injured children in Gaza suffer from terrifying burns, shelling injuries, loss of limbs, along with unparalleled levels of psychological impact and trauma. Without any refuge, they stand with their families.
The youngest victim, Nabeela Noufal, born on the seventh of October marking the beginning of the current conflict, tragically lost her life just a week later in an Israeli raid on Gaza after shrapnel penetrated her delicate body.
The Euro-Mediterranean Monitor emphasized that the impact on families and children is not solely reflected in the number of casualties. The severe psychological trauma, coupled with the disruption of essential services like electricity and water, deepens the crisis. Considering children represent over 45% of the local population, they are increasingly vulnerable to severe psychological symptoms like night terrors, hallucinations, obsessive-compulsive disorders, panic attacks, profound fear, and severe sleeping difficulties amidst the targeted residential zones.
The children of Gaza are paying a hefty price due to Israel’s indiscriminate attacks, not just physically, but also psychologically, which could plague them for the rest of their lives. The escalating depression rates, especially in cases where they witness the death or injury of a family member, or the destruction of their homes, is alarming. Some may even lose their ability to speak from sheer terror.
Tens of thousands of children in Gaza, currently displaced or living in makeshift shelters, are at high risk of these debilitating psychological complications.
