ICSPR: More than 22,000 children martyred in Gaza during two years of Israeli genocide, and hundreds of thousands are at risk of starvation
Date: October 11, 2025
Press Release
ICSPR: More than 22,000 children martyred in Gaza during two years of Israeli genocide, and hundreds of thousands are at risk of starvation
The International Commission to Support Palestinians’ Rights (ICSPR) issued a new fact sheet entitled “Israeli Violations Against Children in the Gaza Strip Over Two Years,” prepared by lawyer Reem Mahmoud Mansour, revealing shocking figures that reflect the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe experienced by children in the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of the Israeli war on October 7, 2023, which the Commission described as the deadliest in modern history against children.
According to the paper, more than 22,000 children have been martyred in the Gaza Strip over the past two years as a result of direct Israeli bombardment targeting homes, schools, and shelters, while around 12,000 children remain missing, most of whom are believed to be under the rubble. In addition, over 40,500 children have been injured, including more than 4,800 who sustained permanent disabilities, while the number of orphaned children reached approximately 56,320, having lost one or both parents.
The paper confirmed that more than one million children have been forcibly displaced from their homes to camps lacking the most basic living necessities, and that 12,000 children under the age of five suffer from severe malnutrition, including more than 600 critical cases that require urgent treatment outside the Strip. It further stated that 650,000 children face the risk of death due to starvation as a result of the ongoing blockade and the prevention of basic food supplies, particularly baby formula, with over 40,000 infants threatened with starvation due to the lack of milk.
“ICSPR” pointed out that Israeli crimes were not limited to killing and starvation but also extended to newborns, as more than 12,000 pregnant women lost their fetuses, and the miscarriage rate increased by 300%, in addition to recording 1,640 premature births and 200 birth defects per 1,000 births, which is five times the global average.
Regarding the right to education, the paper noted that the occupation completely destroyed more than 163 educational and academic facilities, while 388 schools and universities were severely damaged, depriving 785,000 students of their fundamental right to education and turning dozens of schools into overcrowded shelters.
The paper also addressed the catastrophic psychological dimensions, indicating that 80% of children suffer from nightmares and sleep disorders, 96% feel that death is imminent, and 92% experience severe psychological trauma due to losing their families and homes and being constantly exposed to bombardment and fear.
The Commission affirmed in its paper that these violations constitute grave breaches of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, stressing that what Gaza’s children are subjected to represents a blatant violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949), and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (1998).
It added that Israel, as the occupying power, bears full legal responsibility for these crimes, as targeting children, schools, and hospitals, and using starvation as a weapon of war are considered war crimes and crimes against humanity under Article (8) of the Rome Statute.
In conclusion, the International Commission “ICSPR” affirmed that what is happening to Palestinian children in Gaza represents an existential threat to the future of the Palestinian society, calling on the international community to take urgent action beyond verbal condemnation toward practical measures that guarantee the protection of children and hold war criminals accountable.
“ICSPR” emphasized that Gaza’s children are paying the highest price for the ongoing Israeli war, and that international silence over these crimes represents implicit complicity in the continuation of genocide, calling on the international community, the United Nations, and international justice institutions to take immediate action to end this humanitarian tragedy and save what remains of the generation of children in the Gaza Strip.
