Children

This section documents the crimes targeting Palestinian children during the war on the Gaza Strip, including indiscriminate attacks and bombings that resulted in the death and injury of hundreds of innocent children. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) stated that the Gaza Strip has become the most dangerous place for children in the world, and a UNICEF official said, "A child suffering from illness in Gaza is condemned to a slow death because they cannot receive the treatment they need, and it is unlikely they will survive long enough to leave." Since October 7, 2023, Israeli occupation forces have killed more than sixteen thousand Palestinian children.

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Child Adam Islam Abu S’ayyed

Two-year-old Adam Islam Abu S’ayyed was martyred following the Israeli occupation aircraft’s bombing of his home on February 20, 2024. His brother, Ali, and 12 other family members, most of them children and women, were also martyred in the bombing of the family’s home in the Central Governorate

Child Bassam Ahmed Al-Jamal

Israeli occupation aircraft committed massacres against Al-Jamal, Al-Hems, and Hijazi families by targeting several homes in Rafah Governorate without prior warning on February 3, 2024, with most of the victims being children and women.

Martyr Infant Miral (6 months) – Gaza

Child Martyrs – European Gaza Hospital

Dozens of martyrs, most of them children, were taken to the European Gaza Hospital following the Israeli occupation aircraft’s bombing of civilian homes on February 12, 2024, in Rafah Governorate, southern Gaza Strip.

Infant Martyr Following Mosque Bombing

Israeli occupation aircraft bombed Al-Huda Mosque in Yibna Camp – Rafah Governorate on February 12, 2024, without prior warning, completely destroying the mosque and nearby civilian homes. A two-month-old infant was martyred in her home close to the mosque.

Faisal Al-Khaldi: His Parents Killed Before His Eyes

Five-year-old Faisal Ahmed Khaldi recounts the details of Israeli occupation troops’ incursion into his home on December 21, 2023, in Al-Sheikh Redwan neighborhood of Gaza City.

Faisal’s mother and he were injured, with the mother’s injury being severe in her leg, rendering her unable to move, following the bombardment of the house next to theirs by occupation aircraft. The father attempted to take her to Al-Dhayhan School for treatment, but Israeli occupation forces fired tank shells at them, besieging the family inside their home for 24 hours without food or water, and firing tank shells again at the roof of the house.

Israeli occupation soldiers then blew up the front door and opened fire on them while they were asleep. The father died in his sleep. The mother told Faisal to try to wake his father, but when the occupation soldiers saw him, they fired a grenade at the child. They removed the hijab from his mother, Fatima, who was seven months pregnant, and placed her in front of her children, shooting her in the stomach.

The occupation forces then allowed the survivors to exit the house to flee to Al-Dhayhan School, but the tank continued to fire shells at anyone attempting to evacuate.

Child Mahmoud Abu Shamala

Israeli occupation aircraft bombed Abu Shamala family’s home on February 8, 2024, in Gaza City while they were asleep. They awoke to smoke and flames engulfing their home.

Children of Al-Henawi School Massacre

Israeli occupation aircraft bombed Al-Henawi School in the Al-Amal neighborhood of western Khan Younis in the early hours of the afternoon on Tuesday, February 6, 2024. The civilians who had sought refuge in the school became victims of the bombing, as they believed that schools were protected areas under international humanitarian law. Ambulances and civil defense vehicles managed to recover the bodies of 14 individuals, most of whom were children and women, in addition to dozens of injured and many missing.

Recovery of Hamouda Family Child

On January 4, 2024, a child was recovered from beneath the rubble following an Israeli occupation airstrike on a house belonging to Hamouda family in western Deir al-Balah. Fourteen martyrs were retrieved from the debris, along with a significant number of injuries.

Child Ahmad Abu Elian

On February 5, 2024, Israeli occupation aircraft bombed a house belonging to the Abu Saleh family in the Al-Salam neighborhood of eastern Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, without prior warning. Four-year-old Ahmad Hatim Ibrahim Abu Elian, who had been displaced from Bani Suheila-Khan Younis to this home, was playing with his older sister when the bombardment struck, and his head was found severed from his body.

Among the identified victims were:

Oday Mazen Salamah Abu Suhiban (21 years old) from Rafah.
Mahmoud Rashwan Hamouda Abu Saleh (29 years old) from Rafah.
Saeed Muhammad Saeed Selmi (11 years old) from Al-Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City.