Israeli war kills one child every hour in Gaza: UN

Thursday, 24 July 2014

Israeli war kills one child every hour in Gaza: UN

Two-year-old Palestinian girl Naama Abu al-Foul undergoes treatment at Gaza City’s al-Shifa hospital following Israeli bombing next to her family’s home in the battered city on July 23, 2014.

The United Nations says at least one Palestinian child has been killed every hour during the ongoing Israeli war on the besieged Gaza Strip.

The UN said in a new report on Wednesday that the ongoing Israeli aerial and ground attacks have claimed the life of at least one Palestinian child every hour over the past couple of days.

“One child has been killed every hour in Gaza over the past two days,” the UN report said.

According to the new report, 74% of the victims are civilians, and one-third of the civilians killed so far are also children.

International bodies and human rights groups say civilians account for the majority of the victims of the ongoing Israeli war. Women and children make the bulk of the civilian casualties there.

Meanwhile, the UN rights chief says Israeli military’s actions in the impoverished region could amount to war crimes. Navi Pillay was speaking at an emergency session on Israel’s Gaza offensive at the UN Human Rights Council.

The development come as Israel has been relentlessly pounding the Gaza Strip for the past 16 days.

On Wednesday alone, more than 30 people were killed as Israel conducted fresh attacks on the blockaded Palestinian territory.

Israel has also attacked two hospitals in Gaza in the past days. Tel Aviv forces have also ordered Palestinians in Shifa hospital to evacuate the building.

According to figures provided by emergency services, the total number of people killed since the Israeli offensive on July 8 stands at nearly 665. More than 4,200 people have been injured in the attacks.