The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, announced that the number of children who have died as a result of the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip has exceeded the number killed over four years of conflicts worldwide.
In a statement on the platform “X” (formerly known as Twitter), Lazzarini condemned what he described as the “war on children,” highlighting that the number of child fatalities recorded in just four months in Gaza surpasses the total child fatalities in all global conflicts over the last four years.
Lazzarini based his statement on United Nations figures indicating that 12,193 children were killed in conflicts around the world between 2019 and 2022. These figures were compared to reports from the Gaza Health Ministry, which suggest that over 12,300 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip between October and the beginning of February.
Lazzarini also shared a chart prepared using data from the United Nations and the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, illustrating the comparison between the number of children killed in Gaza during this war and the number of children killed in wars over the past four years. The chart showed that while 12,193 children were killed in global conflicts over the past four years, the number of children who have died in the Gaza Strip has exceeded 12,300.
Lazzarini called for an immediate ceasefire to protect the children of Gaza.
The recent Gaza war has seen devastating impacts, with the death toll reported at 31,704 Palestinians and about 1,139 people in Israel since October 7, 2023. The conflict has led to significant destruction across Gaza, including damage to over half of the residential units, educational facilities, hospitals, groundwater wells, and places of worship. The war has also severely affected journalists, with at least 99, mostly Palestinians, reported killed. The ongoing Israeli blockade since 2007 has significantly restricted the movement of goods and people, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Amidst the conflict, efforts to establish a maritime corridor for aid into Gaza are underway, involving discussions with various countries and the UN.
