Over 300 children killed since Israel’s new Gaza offensive, Unicef says

The United Nations agency for children says that at least 322 children are reported to have been killed since Israel launched a renewed offensive in Gaza two weeks ago.

Unicef said at least 609 other children were reportedly wounded during the same period.

“The ceasefire in Gaza provided a desperately needed lifeline for Gaza’s children and hope for a path to recovery,” said Unicef Executive Director Catherine Russell. “But children have again been plunged into a cycle of deadly violence and deprivation.”

Israel launched its renewed Gaza offensive on 18 March, blaming Hamas for rejecting a new US proposal to extend the ceasefire and free the 59 hostages still held captive in Gaza.

Hamas, in turn, accused Israel of violating the original deal they had agreed to in January.

Unicef said “relentless and indiscriminate bombardments” had resumed in Gaza, with 100 children killed or maimed every day in the 10 days to 31 March.

Most of the children who were killed had been displaced and were sheltering in makeshift tents or damaged homes, it said.

Unicef uses figures released by Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry – figures which Israel has consistently disputed. The figures are seen by the UN and other international institutions as being reliable.

International journalists, including the BBC, are blocked by Israel from entering Gaza independently, so are unable to verify figures from either side.

BBC News has approached the Israeli military (IDF) for comment.

Since the war began more than 18 months ago, the agency said that 15,000 children have reportedly been killed, over 34,000 reportedly injured, and nearly one million children repeatedly displaced.

The humanitarian situation across Gaza has dramatically worsened in recent weeks, with Israel refusing to allow aid into the Gaza Strip since 2 March – the longest aid blockage since the war began.

“Without these essential supplies, malnutrition, diseases and other preventable conditions will likely surge, leading to an increase in preventable child deaths,” Unicef wrote in a press release.

The UN announced it was reducing its operations in Gaza on 24 March, one day after eight Palestinian medics, six Civil Defence first responders and a UN staff member were killed by Israeli forces in southern Gaza.

The IDF launched a campaign to destroy Hamas, which is designated a terrorist group by Israel, the UK, the US and other countries, in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.

More than 50,399 people have been killed in Gaza during the ensuing war, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.