Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP) called the attack one of the most horrific child death tolls seen in Gaza in recent history [Getty]
Children’s rights groups have condemned Israel’s latest airstrikes on Gaza, describing the killing of at least 174 children in a single night as a horrifying violation of international law and a devastating blow to Gaza’s most vulnerable.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, more than 400 Palestinians, including at least 174 children, were killed in the early morning attacks on Tuesday. The death toll is expected to rise further as bodies are still being pulled from the rubble.
Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP) called the attack one of the most horrific child death tolls seen in Gaza in recent history.
“Today marks one of the largest one-day child death tolls in Gaza in history,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, DCIP’s accountability program director.
“Israeli forces have signed a death warrant for Palestinian children in Gaza as they carry out nonstop attacks, continue to destroy civilian infrastructure and prevent humanitarian aid from reaching Palestinians in need. This is nothing short of genocide.”
Save the Children echoed the alarm, warning that the latest wave of strikes has plunged families back into a relentless nightmare.
“Children and families in Gaza have barely caught their breath and are now being plunged back into a horrifically familiar world of harm that they cannot escape,” said Ahmad Alhendawi, Save the Children’s Regional Director.
The airstrikes hit densely populated areas in Gaza City, Khan Younis, Deir Al-Balah, and Rafah, wiping out entire families and leaving hospitals overwhelmed. Medical teams described chaotic scenes, with children treated on the floor and in hospital corridors.
Alhendawi described the strikes as a “slaughter of starved, besieged, and defenceless families”, warning that Gaza’s medical system is now on the brink of collapse.
Since Israel reimposed a total siege on Gaza on 2 March, the entry of life-saving aid, food, fuel, and medicine has been blocked, further endangering children’s lives.
The situation has drawn strong condemnation from Amnesty International, which described the renewed attacks as a “desperately dark day for humanity”, Amnesty Secretary General Agnes Callamard accused Israel of deliberately plunging Palestinians into a new phase of catastrophic suffering.
“Israel brazenly resumed its devastating bombing campaign in Gaza killing at least 414 people in their sleep, including at least 100 children,” said Callamard.
“Palestinians in Gaza — who have barely had a chance to start piecing together their lives — have woken up once more to the hellish nightmare of intense bombardment.”
Amnesty condemned Israel’s ongoing blockade, warning that denying food, water, and medical aid to Gaza’s population is a form of collective punishment – a war crime under international law.
Save the Children warned that children who survived the bombings now face a worsening humanitarian catastrophe.
“Their small bodies have less blood to lose – a death sentence when emergency services can’t safely operate and reach them,” said Alhendawi. He warned that over 4,500 children urgently require medical evacuation, yet Israel’s blockade is preventing this.
“When children are slaughtered en masse, humanity’s moral and legal foundations crumble. This cannot be what world powers allow children to return to,” Alhendawi added.
Rights groups are urging global leaders to take immediate action to enforce a ceasefire and demand Israel end its attacks and lift the siege on Gaza.
“Anything less is a global failure — not a mistake, not a regrettable dilemma, but a total dereliction of legal duty,” Alhendawi warned.
