41 Palestinian children killed in Gaza Strip as Israeli forces target residential areas

41 Palestinian children killed in Gaza Strip as Israeli forces target residential areas

At least nine Palestinian children have been killed since Friday evening as Israeli forces intensified attacks on the Gaza Strip, bringing the number of Palestinian children killed to at least 41 since the escalation of hostilities on May 10.
“Israeli” forces carried out hundreds of air and ground strikes throughout the Gaza Strip, continuing to target residential buildings and civilian infrastructure. Since Monday, at least 139 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and at least 1,038 Palestinians were injured, including 313 children, according to data issued by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.

“I am just 10” – Palestinian girl

Several days into escalating hostilities, over 17,000 Palestinians are now internally displaced and are sheltering in 41 UNRWA schools, primarily in Gaza City and other locations in North Gaza, according to UNRWA.
Since May 10, at least 76 buildings have been destroyed and at least 725 housing units have suffered major damage, according to data issued by the Palestinian Ministry of Public Works and Housing. Another 4,134 housing units have sustained minor damage.
“As we’ve seen in past Israeli military offenses on the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted residential and civilian buildings, including schools, killing entire Palestinian families,” said Khaled Quzmar, general director at DCIP. “Israel’s complete disregard for international law ensures Palestinian children have no safe space and undoubtedly become targets. The Israeli attacks we are witnessing are deliberately and recklessly causing disproportionate civilian harm and amount to war crimes.”
Israeli airstrikes killed 12-year-old Abdullah Ashraf Abdullah Jouda in Gaza City on Friday evening. Israeli warplanes struck the six-story Al-Rabee’a Building in the heart of Gaza City around 8 p.m., targeting an apartment on the second floor and destroying the second and third floors. The attack killed at least two Palestinians, including Abdullah, according to documentation collected by DCIP

The footage was shot by Middle East Eye on May 15 in Gaza where medical officials say Israeli strikes have killed at least 149 people since the violence began on Monday, including 41 children. Over 1,000 people have been wounded, many of whom are minors. Amid mass devastation, 10-year-old Nadine seems to have become the face of the crisis being faced by children in Gaza, even as stretched into a seventh day with no sign of abating.
In the video, little Nadine points at the rubble and asks, “What am I supposed to do? Fix it? I’m only 10. I can’t even deal with this anymore”. In a shaky voice, Nadine further adds, “I just want to be a doctor or anything to help my people. But I can’t. I’m just a kid”.
“I get scared… I’d do anything for my people. But I don’t know what to do,” Nadine says.

Nadine goes on to ask why anyone would send bombs into their homes to kill them. “Why do we deserve this? What did we do for this?” she asks. The video has got over 4 million views in just a day.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel’s offensive against Hamas will continue as long as necessary.

The strikes were retaliation for the Palestinian group Hamas launching rockets on Israel after Israeli police moved in on Palestinian worshippers in the Al-Aqsa mosque and cracked down on protests against planned Israeli expulsions of Palestinians from their homes in annexed east Jerusalem.

According to the news agency AFP, the army said that 450 rockets fell short inside Gaza, while Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system has intercepted approximately 1,150 rockets.

Digi Skynet

Digi Skynet

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