When war does occur, children are the most vulnerable to war, especially if it is a war of mass destruction and genocide. The occupation not only did not abide by international laws of war, but also targeted the children of Gaza explicitly and inhumanely. The Israeli occupation has even stated its intention to turn the Gaza Strip into an unviable place.
From the very beginning of the war, the children of Gaza began to lose all their basic rights, such as their right to life like the rest of the world, their right to be safe, to be fed, to be treated, to be educated, even the right to know why they were so cruelly and inhumanely targeted.
The situation of children in Gaza since the beginning of the siege
The children of Gaza are living through one of the most horrific and despicable human tragedies in the world's modern history. Every day is a new battle for survival, amidst scenes of destruction and fear. Since the beginning of the Israeli aggression in October 2023, a great tragedy has begun to emerge as children, who are already a large segment of the population in the Gaza Strip, are the most affected by the violence and the violent and inhumane shelling of the Gaza Strip.
Over the months of the war, children carried so many burdens and responsibilities that they sought to secure the basic necessities of life for their families who lost their breadwinners, such as water and food, and many had to work just to make a living.
Most children in Gaza suffer from severe trauma and disorders, as well as major physical injuries. Not only that, but a large number of them have one or both of their parents, some of whom have lost their home or family members or even lost a limb. Thus, the tragedies caused by the Israeli occupation, which have caused terrible psychological effects, accumulate and will continue with the children of Gaza for life.
These children who have lost their lives or their families are not just numbers in the statistics of victims, they are painful tales of innocent lives that ended even before they began. Each of them had small dreams and a life that was supposed to begin, but lost them under the rubble of war. For those who survive, many live today without one or both parents. Consequently, the suffering of these children is not temporary; it is protracted and may accompany them for many years, unless they are provided with the necessary psychosocial support to overcome the consequences of this tragedy.
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Gaza children are victims of war
Since the beginning of October 2023, 18,000 children have been killed in Gaza, and the health conditions in the tents for children are no less bad than other living conditions in Gaza due to the polluted environment, lack of clean water, and the absence of all basic health services, all of which have directly contributed to the epidemics among children.
As such, the current environment is ideal for the spread of diseases, and Gaza is witnessing a marked increase in cases of scabies, acute diarrhea, as well as respiratory diseases resulting from malnutrition.
Health conditions in Gaza are deteriorating dramatically, leading to the re-emergence of serious diseases, such as smallpox, hepatitis C, and poliovirus, which have been largely eradicated in the past decades, thanks to regular vaccination campaigns and health care.
Today, with the ongoing war and the collapse of the health system, these diseases are re-emerging and pose a major threat to the lives of children in Gaza because they are the most vulnerable group.
Declining health status for children is not just a health crisis, but a serious sign of years of declining health progress. The humanitarian situation in Gaza has become a catastrophe that threatens the future of entire generations, and this will happen if urgent intervention is not taken to contain the situation and provide the necessary care for children in Gaza.
What is the fate of newborn babies?
Newborns in Gaza are at risk of death from the moment they are born, due to the catastrophic health conditions of hospitals in the Strip. Hospitals also suffer from a critical shortage of medicines and medical supplies, making care for these infants nearly impossible.
Thus, the risk of death of newborns increases dramatically, as they do not have adequate medical possibilities to cope with the health problems that may face them in the early stages of life. This is a painful reality, reflecting the severe health crisis facing children, and showing the urgent need for urgent intervention to support and secure the resources needed to save the lives of these children.
Repeated direct attacks by the Israeli occupying forces against hospitals and health facilities have disrupted the oxygen systems that are essential to infant survival, especially with frequent power outages and the lack of fuel to power generators.
Doctors are unable to save the lives of newborns in the absence of basic medical care, which constitutes a major violation of international humanitarian law and exacerbates the tragedy of the population of the Gaza Strip in general, and children more.
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