Over 20,000 Children Killed By Israel Since Oct 7, 2023: Palestinian Embassy In India

The State of Palestine draws urgent attention to the alarming findings contained in the 94-page report of the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry, entitled "The Essence of Childhood Has Been Destroyed: Israel's Deliberate Targeting of Palestinian Children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since 7 October 2023," released on 23 June 2026.

The report presents one of the most comprehensive investigations ever conducted into the impact of Israel's military campaign on Palestinian children. Its findings reveal an unprecedented level of death, injury, trauma and destruction inflicted upon an entire generation.

According to the Commission:

• At least 20,179 Palestinian children have been killed and 44,143 injured since 7 October 2023. Children constitute approximately 30% of all Palestinians killed and 26% of those injured.
• Among those killed are 5,031 children under the age of five, including 1,029 infants and 420 newborn babies.
• An estimated 5,160 children remain buried beneath the rubble, while many others remain missing or unaccounted for.

The Commission notes that Gaza has become "the most dangerous place in the world to be a child."

Documented Cases of Deliberate Targeting

The report documents evidence of the deliberate targeting of children, including children shot by snipers and armed quadcopters while evacuating, carrying white flags, sheltering in tents, or collecting firewood.

• The Commission concluded that Israeli forces deliberately targeted Hind Rajab, a five-year-old girl trapped in a vehicle, despite knowing that children were inside. The ambulance sent to rescue her was also attacked, killing two paramedics.
• The report further documents the killing of a 15-year-old boy carrying a white flag, and the shooting of his brother when he attempted to assist him.
• A 10-day-old baby was shot in the head by a quadcopter while being breastfed inside a tent. The child survived but suffered severe brain injuries.

Life-Altering Injuries and Psychological Trauma

Thousands of children have suffered life-altering injuries, including amputations, blindness, hearing loss, spinal injuries, brain trauma and severe burns. Gaza now has the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world. More than 1,000 children lost one or more limbs in the first months of the war alone.

Additionally:

• At least 21,000 children have become newly disabled, while approximately 40,500 children have sustained war-related injuries.
• The destruction of hospitals, medical facilities and maternal healthcare services has contributed to preventable child deaths, permanent disabilities and severe harm to newborns and pregnant women.
• Schools, orphanages and facilities caring for children have been attacked or damaged, depriving children of education, protection and essential services.
• The report highlights widespread psychological trauma among Palestinian children, including anxiety, depression, fear, displacement, grief and long-term emotional harm.

Legal Conclusions and Call to Action

The Commission concludes that Palestinian children have suffered severe physical and mental harm and that these acts may constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, including extermination and persecution, and form part of the broader findings previously reached by the Commission regarding genocide in Gaza.

The State of Palestine calls upon the international community, governments, parliaments, human rights organizations and all defenders of children's rights to act urgently to ensure accountability, protect Palestinian children, secure an immediate end to attacks against civilians, and uphold international law.

No child should be born into war, live under siege, or die beneath the rubble. The children of Palestine deserve the same protection, dignity and future as children everywhere.