"Innocent lives lost: 18,457 children killed in Gaza conflict"

By the end of July, Gaza’s official records listed 18,457 children among the victims of the ongoing conflict involving Israel. Over nearly two years, this means bombs, gunfire, and artillery have claimed the life of a child every hour.

The deaths, however, are not evenly distributed. Often, airstrikes or shells kill siblings, relatives, and friends together. Even those targeted by snipers or drones sometimes arrive at hospitals in groups, according to medical staff.

These children make up nearly one-third of all recorded deaths—those whose bodies have been recovered and identified before burial.

Gaza’s health authorities manage the list of victims, which is widely accepted as reliable by international bodies, the UN, and even Israel’s military, though some Israeli officials dispute its validity.

However, the strict documentation process that ensures accuracy also means the list cannot fully reflect the tragedy endured by Gaza’s children and their families.

The count excludes thousands still buried under rubble from bombings, as well as those who have died indirectly due to the conflict. Shortages of food, medicine, clean water, and fuel—exacerbated by Israel’s restrictions—have led to additional deaths.

At least 150 children have starved to death. Many more have perished from preventable diseases, lack of medical care, and contaminated water—losses that health officials say are impossible to tally while hostilities continue.

Among those who survive, injuries often leave lasting damage. UN estimates indicate over 40,000 children have been wounded, with Gaza now having the highest number of child amputees in the world.

Human rights organizations, scholars of mass atrocities, global leaders, and a UN panel have accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, pointing to evidence of large-scale civilian killings.

The number of child casualties far surpasses those from past conflicts in Israel, Palestinian territories, and the wider region over recent decades.

For example, Israel’s 2008 offensive in Gaza, Operation Cast Lead, resulted in 345 child deaths in 22 days, according to B’tselem, a rights group. A 2014 military campaign claimed 548 children’s lives over 50 days.

In Iraq, during the 15 years covering the rise and fall of Islamic State (2008-2022), the UN verified 3,119 child fatalities.

Gudrun Østby, a researcher at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), stated, “Children in Gaza are enduring some of the most extreme war conditions recorded in decades.”

Every child in Gaza lives under what PRIO defines as “extreme conflict intensity”—meaning they reside within 50km of zones where at least 1,000 people were killed in a year. Even the peak of Syria’s civil war, beginning in 2011, provides limited comparison.