The Israeli military’s relentless bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 1,000 Palestinian children—roughly one every 15 minutes—since it began on October 7, according to the latest tally from Defense for Children International–Palestine (DCIP). The fatality and injury numbers provided by the Ministry of Health in Gaza only account for people admitted to hospitals, so at least an estimated additional 1,000 Palestinians are missing under the rubble of destroyed buildings, indicating the actual death toll is much higher.
Israel has dropped more than 6,000 bombs on Gaza—home to 2.3 million people—in response to the Palestinian attack.
Palestinian children who have so far survived the Israeli military’s intense bombing across the Gaza Strip are suffering in an increasingly dire human-made humanitarian crisis, compounding existing mental and emotional traumas sustained from 16 years of siege and Israeli military offensives. An estimated one million Palestinians in Gaza are displaced, according to the UN, including more than 600,000 people hosted in the central and southern parts of Gaza.
Israeli forces have also targeted civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, mosques, media offices, and water facilities.