Israeli forces have killed more than a dozen Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip in the last 48 hours, while thousands of others face the threat of imminent famine in the midst of a radically deteriorating humanitarian crisis.
Mohammed Yassine, four years old, joined dozens of other children who died in recent days on Sunday, the World Food Program (WFP) has warned that more than 70,000 children in Gaza are faced with acute malnutrition levels.
In addition to provoking deaths of famine, Israel has intensified its bombing and its offensive on the ground in Gaza, killing some 600 people in almost a week.
A strike on a tent sheltering displaced people from the center of Gaza killed a mother and her children in the central city of Deir El-Balah, according to Al-Aqsa hospital, while a child was killed when his family’s tent was struck with a drone in Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis, reported the Palestinian press agency Wafa.
A strike in the Jabaliya region, in northern Gaza, killed at least five, including two women and one child, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
Yaqeen Hammad, eleven, a popular social media influencer, and nine of Dr. Alaa Amir al-Najjar’s 10 children were also killed in distinct Israeli air raids. The remaining child of Al-Najjar, Adam, 11, is in critical condition in an intensive care unit.
The attacks come in the middle of an Israeli blockade for almost three months which stifled access to essential food, fuel and medical supplies. Aid agencies warn that thousands of children are now at risk of death from famine.
Children represent 31% of confirmed Palestinians killed during the 19 months of Israel’s war against Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. This figure excludes the deaths which have been reported but for which the victims remain unidentified, which suggests that the real toll is higher.
A report commissioned by the United Nations also underlined the disproportionate violence of Israel against children by targeting densely populated areas, with repeated air raids on residential buildings contributing to the growing number of children for children.
According to Tel Aviv Tribune Arabic, at least 22 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks through the Gaza Strip since dawn.
You will find below some of the children killed in Israeli attacks:
Yaqeen Hammad
Known for his smile and volunteer work in Gaza, Yaqeen Hammad was killed after Israel bombed al-Baraka in Deir El-Balah, in northern Gaza on Friday evening.
The 11 -year -old influencer and his older brother, Mohamed Hammad, delivered food, toys and clothes to displaced families, reports Palestine Chronicle. She also played an active role in the Ouena collective – a non -profit group based in Gaza dedicated to humanitarian aid and help.
Messages of sorrow and tributes from activists, supporters and Yaqeen journalists flocked after the news of his death has spread online.
“His body may be gone, but its impact remains a lighthouse of humanity,” wrote Mahmoud Bassam, photojournalist in Gaza.
“Instead of being at school and enjoying her childhood, she was active on Instagram and participated in campaigns to help others in Gaza. No words. Absolutely no words,” said another tribute to X.
Mohammed Yassine
Palestinian activists and shared Palestinian platforms on the painful scenes of Mohammed Yassine’s social media on a hospital bed.
Appearing in a video, holding the body of Yassine, Mahmoud Basal of the Civil Defense of Gaza said: “Mohammed Yassine died of hunger, direct result of the prevention of the occupation of food and the medical aid of entry to Gaza.”
“Mohammed was not the first child, and fear has become a certainty that he will not be the last,” added Basal.
The nine children of Dr Alaa al-Najjar
On Friday, an Israeli attack on Al-Najjar killed nine of his children and injured Adam, 11.
Sidar, Luqman, Sadin, Reval, Ruslan, Jubran, Eve, Rakan and Yahya – seven months and 12 years old – all died in the attack, said the Gaza government media office.
Al-Najjar is a pediatrician at Nasser Hospital in Southern City, where her husband receives care after being seriously injured in the attack.
“It’s incredible,” said Ahmad al-Farra, chief of the hospital pediatric service, the impact of the attack.
“You cannot imagine the shock that (Al-Najjar) has had when she heard of this (attack). But so far, she tries to be near her son and her husband to survive.”