UNICEF: Gaza genocide leaves 50,000 children dead or wounded since October, 2023

GAZA (Palestine Foundation Information Center) More than 50,000 Palestinian children have been killed or injured in Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which described the situation as part of an ongoing genocide committed by the Israeli occupation army. The staggering figure comes alongside new data from Gaza’s Ministry of Health, which reveals the near-total collapse of the Strip’s healthcare system after 600 days of war.

UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Edouard Beigbeder, said in a statement Wednesday that recent attacks in Gaza underscore the “exorbitant cost” children continue to pay.

“Last week, videos showed the burned and dismembered bodies of children from the al-Najjar family being pulled from the rubble of their home in Khan Yunis. Of ten siblings under the age of 12, only one is reported to have survived—with serious injuries,” Beigbeder said.

He also cited another attack that killed at least 31 people, including 18 children, when the IOF bombed a school sheltering civilians in Gaza City.

Since the end of the temporary ceasefire on March 18, at least 1,309 children have been killed and 3,738 injured, according to UNICEF.

“These children are not just numbers. They are victims of grave violations—killed, displaced, starved, and left without access to hospitals, schools, or even clean water. In short, Gaza’s children are enduring the destruction of life itself,” Beigbeder added.

UNICEF urged all parties to end the violence, ensure humanitarian access, release Israeli captives, and uphold international law. The UN organization stressed that what Gaza’s children need most is an immediate ceasefire—and an end to the war.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Health released updated figures showing the catastrophic collapse of Gaza’s medical system. Only 16 of Gaza’s 38 hospitals remain operational, while 47% of essential medicines and 65% of medical consumables are out of stock. Just 30 of 105 primary care centers are functioning, and hospital bed occupancy has exceeded 106%.

Only 50 of Gaza’s 104 operating rooms are still in service, functioning under what officials described as “catastrophic conditions.” Medical diagnostics are virtually paralyzed: 12 of 19 CT scanners and all seven MRI machines have been destroyed. Oxygen infrastructure is nearly non-existent, with 25 of 34 stations wiped out and just nine partially working.

The ministry reported that 41% of kidney failure patients have died due to lack of healthcare. Additionally, 477 patients who needed to travel for treatment died waiting, and 60 children have died from malnutrition. Only 49 of 110 hospital generators are still operating, all of which require urgent maintenance and fuel.

It warns that without immediate intervention, more lives, especially among children, will be lost. International health organizations have echoed those calls, stressing that the complete collapse of Gaza’s health system is a deliberate outcome of sustained military targeting and the ongoing blockade.