Save the Children's statement in response to attacks that reportedly killed 50 children in northern Gaza:
RAMALLAH, 2 NOVEMBER – Attacks overnight that reportedly killed 50 children in besieged northern Gaza demand international intervention, as the relentless pattern of mass attacks on civilians by Israeli forces continues, Save the Children said.
The attacks yesterday were the latest in a series of strikes on northern Gaza that the UN has described as causing an apocalyptic situation.
Save the Children’s Regional Director, Jeremy Stoner, said:
“How many times must children in Gaza face mass slaughter? What will it take for world powers to say ‘enough’? Intervention isn’t just a plea; it’s a legal obligation for which all must be held accountable.
At least 50 children have been killed in an Israeli attack on homes in Jabalia, northern Gaza, according to media reports. Rescue workers are unable to reach the area, leaving desperate neighbours digging through the debris with their bare hands. However, as Israel has systematically destroyed the health system, any survivors requiring medical care simply face a suspended death sentence.
Every war is a war on children. In Gaza, casualties have escalated from including children, to mostly women and children and, as in this latest attack, to mostly children. Children should never be considered acceptable “collateral”, but here they’re not unfortunate bystanders caught up in conflict – they are directly under attack.
The principle of protecting civilians in conflict, especially children, is a cornerstone of international law and our shared humanity. In Gaza, this appears to have been abandoned, replaced by an onslaught that has reduced thousands of children’s lives to statistics in a horrific toll of human suffering. Yet behind the numbers, every single child killed isn’t just a life extinguished, but a parent’s, a sibling’s, entire universe. And that kind of loss can never be quantified.
If the international community does not intervene soon, an entire generation of children in Gaza will be erased, along with their futures. There must be a ceasefire, and aid must be allowed to reach people. All states have a legal obligation to prevent the crime of genocide.”
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