Over 17,000 children killed in West Asia, eastern Europe escalations

As many as 16,930 children have been killed in Israel’s military actions against Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank, which began over a year ago. This tragic situation averages out to more than 45 child fatalities each day. 

The total number of Palestinian fatalities had reached 43,359 by October 20, 2024. The number of wounded corresponds to 106,045.

On October 7, 2023, Israel besieged Gaza immediately after a Hamas attack that killed over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals and injured about 8,700 people. So far, the death toll in Israel has reached 1,706.

Israeli forces have effectuated 516 verified attacks on healthcare facilities across Gaza, leaving only 17 out of 36 hospitals partially functioning.

The United Nations General Assembly on September 18 this year adopted a resolution demanding Israel to “‘bring[s] to an end without delay its unlawful presence’ in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” within a year. 

The resolution urged its member states to impose sanctions like travel bans and asset freezes against those involved in aiding Israel’s operations in Gaza and other occupied Palestinian territories. Additionally, the Assembly demanded Israel to return occupied land and “immovable properties and assets” that it had taken over since 1967.

Israel has resorted to using more force in Gaza following the resolution.

As of now, the hostility between Hamas and Israel has surged into a war in West Asia, with the latter taking offensive turns simultaneously — Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthis in Yemen — all proxies of the Islamic regime in Iran.

The death toll in Lebanon has reached 2,464, including 127 children. At least 11,530 civilians have been wounded, as of October 20, 2024. Healthcare facilities in Lebanon have sustained 23 verified attacks launched by Israeli forces.

Israel and Hezbollah were engaged in cross-border warfare after the latter opened aerial fire in northern Israel extending a ‘moral’ support to Hamas in October last year. The attacks mounted on September 17 this year with Israeli forces storming into Lebanese territory. Additionally, Israel has recently resorted to attacking the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) positions and infrastructures in southern Lebanon.

In all, West Asia is moving towards a bigger humanitarian crisis.

In other news, as of June 2024, at least 9,560 Ukrainians — including 594 children — have been killed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, another 21,450 — including 1,202 children — have been wounded in the eastern Europe escalation.