More than 15,000 Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip have been killed by the Israeli army since the beginning of the Israel and Hamas war on October 7, 2023, according to the Ministry of Education run by the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah.
This came on the occasion of the International Day of Innocent Child Victims of Aggression, which falls on June 4.
In a statement, the ministry said that most of the children killed were of school and kindergarten students, in addition to 64 students from schools in the West Bank, including Jerusalem.
The most prominent title of this occasion is “The Children of Gaza,” as they are the biggest victims of the ongoing Israeli aggression since October 7, it said.
Since the start of the Israeli genocide in Gaza, 620,000 students have been unable to attend school, while 88,000 are deprived of university-level higher education opportunities.
The ministry urges international organizations to address escalating violations of children’s rights and education rights, urgently intervening to stop the occupation of Gaza and West Bank colonists.
“Israel has destroyed schools and nurseries and targeted civilians, especially children, who have been forcibly displaced, detained or deprived from food and medical access,” the ministry said.
Taking to X, the independent organization, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor wrote, “In Gaza, thousands of Palestinian children have been killed, many while they slept, as part of Israel’s ongoing military attack.”
Israel has been pounding the Gaza since October 7 in retaliation for a Hamas attack that resulted in the death of around 1,200 people.
Since Israel’s invasion of Gaza nearly eight months ago, over 36,000 Palestinians have been killed, primarily women and children, with over 82,000 injured.
