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Gaza's Stolen Childhood: A Child is Killed Every 45 Minutes, Shocking Figures and Horrifying Evidence

2025-03-27 18:53:29Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Gaza's Stolen Childhood: A Child is Killed Every 45 Minutes, Shocking
Gaza's Stolen Childhood: A Child is Killed Every 45 Minutes

Every 45 minutes a child is killed in Gaza.

This is how Al Jazeera begins its article, which shows shocking figures about what is happening to the civilian population in Gaza, and children in particular, since the start of the war.

Since October 7, 2023, at least 17,400 children have been killed by Israeli attacks, with only 15,600 of them identified. Many more remain buried under the rubble, most of whom are presumed dead.

Meanwhile, those who have survived are traumatized by what they experienced.

What is left of the children of Gaza?

About half of Gaza's 2.3 million residents are children.

Over the past 17 months, Israeli attacks have reduced their homes to rubble, destroyed their schools, and closed their healthcare facilities.

To put this into perspective, if you had a room with 100 children:

-2 were killed

-2 are missing, presumed dead

-3 injured, many in critical condition

-5 have been orphaned or separated from their parents

-5 require treatment for acute malnutrition

The rest of the children bear the invisible scars of war, trauma that affects their mental health, safety, and future.

Who were the children killed by Israel?

Among the documented children killed were:

at least 825 babies, not yet old enough to celebrate their first birthday

895 one-year-olds killed before taking their first steps

3,266 who died as preschoolers aged two to five, deprived of play, discovery and the simple wonders of growing up

4,032 who died between the ages of six and 10, leaving behind empty classrooms and school uniforms that were barely worn

3,646 who died at the age of 11 to 14, high school students who had gone through three wars (2012, 2014, 2021), but were killed in the fourth

and 2,949 who were 15 to 17 years old, at an age when they were preparing to enter the world, leaving behind dreams of independence and unfulfilled futures; the 17-year-olds lived through four wars (2008-09, 2012, 2014, 2021) and were killed in the fifth

8899 were boys and 6714 were girls.

1720 babies killed before taking their first steps

On March 18, Israeli forces launched 100 simultaneous attacks across the Gaza Strip, shattering a two-month ceasefire with Hamas.

Over the next 36 hours 436 people were killed, including at least 183 children, 94 women, 34 elderly people and 125 men.

Among the children killed was 1-year-old Mohammed Abu Hilal, who died along with his seven-months-pregnant mother, Afnan, in an Israeli airstrike on the al-Mawasi camp – a place that Israel had claimed was a “safe zone.” His father Ala had sent them there in the hopes of keeping them safe.

“Oh, my dear son, go up to heaven, you will find all your toys up there,” the heartbroken father cried out as he held his son's lifeless body.

Muhammad was among 895 one-year-olds killed by Israeli attacks.

3266 preschoolers were killed deprived of the joys of play

Reem was just three years old when she was killed, along with her five-year-old brother Tarek, in an Israeli airstrike on their family home in the Nuseirat refugee camp in November 2023.

After her death, a video of her grandfather, Khaled Nabhan, hugging her lifeless body and calling it "The soul of my soul," went viral, symbolizing the immense suffering endured by the population of Gaza.

Khaled cuddled his beloved granddaughter and sadly remembered how she greeted him with a hug every day. On December 16, 2024, Khaled, who dedicated his time to helping those in need, was also killed by an Israeli strike.

4032 primary school children were killed leaving classrooms empty

Hind Rajab, five, was a bright, kind-hearted child, full of life and curiosity, her family and neighbors said. On January 29, 2024, Hind found herself the sole survivor in a blood-soaked car filled with the bodies of her family. They had been targeted by an Israeli tank as they tried to flee Israeli shelling in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood. Hind was left alone, but managed to call the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS).

In her final moments, she pleaded for help over the phone, her terrified cries echoing around the world.

“I am very scared, please come. Please send someone to pick me up,” she repeated during a harrowing three-hour conversation with emergency services that Israel was preventing from reaching her.

Her body was discovered 12 days later along with those of her family and the doctors who had tried to save her.

3646 teenagers killed before they grew up

On October 19, 2023, an Israeli airstrike hit Gaza's oldest church, St. Porphyry, killing at least 18 people.

Among those killed were siblings, Suhail Ramez al-Souri, 14, Julie Ramez al-Souri, 12, and Majd Ramez al-Souri, 10.

Their heartbroken father has revealed the devastating moment his children were killed as he sought refuge inside the church.

"We thought this was our safe haven, our last refuge, in the house of God. They bombed my angels without warning. They killed our children, the children of our cousins, our relatives," the grieving father added, choking back tears.

2,949 futures never realized

Mahmoud wanted to become a journalist, just like his father.

Determined to share the stories of his homeland with the world, the 15-year-old, known as "young Wael," along with his sister Khuloud, began recording videos documenting the effects of Israel's escalating violence in Gaza.

"In Gaza, there is no safe place... this is the harshest and most violent war we have experienced in Gaza. Help us stay alive," the young Dahdouh couple pleaded.

On the night of October 25, 2023, Mahmoud was killed, along with his mother, seven-year-old sister Sham, one-and-a-half-year-old nephew Adam, and 21 others, in an Israeli airstrike on the Nuseirat camp where the family had sought refuge after the Israeli army told them to move south for their safety.

The stories of children like Mohammed, Reem, Hind, the al-Souri siblings and Mahmoud reflect the countless childhoods stolen in Gaza, leaving behind memories of innocence and futures that will never be realized.


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