Gaza children get killed, orphaned and starved
Over 21,000 children killed, 44,500 injured by Israel since October 2023, according to official figures
Nour Mahd Ali Abuaisha
02 July 2026•Update: 02 July 2026
GAZA CITY, Palestine
- Victims include 450 babies, 1,029 children who did not reach their first birthday, and 5,031 children under age of 5
As the Gaza Strip marks 1,000 days since Israel began its genocidal war on the enclave, Palestinian children continue to face a reality shaped by killing, hunger, orphanhood, and displacement, amid the collapse of protection and care systems.
According to official figures, the Israeli army killed more than 21,000 children and injured about 44,500 others in Gaza from Oct. 8, 2023, to early April 2026, making children among the groups most affected by Israel’s ongoing war.
The casualties did not stop even after a ceasefire entered into force on Oct. 10, 2025. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said 265 children were killed and more than 400 others injured since the ceasefire, an average of nearly one child killed every day.
In addition to those killed and wounded, more than 58,000 children have lost one or both parents since the start of the war, while thousands have been admitted to treatment programs for acute malnutrition.