Almost 19,000 children are among more than 62,000 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since the war began nearly two years ago, according to figures released by Gaza’s Government Media Office.
The devastating toll comes as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) warned on Tuesday that “no place is safe for children” in the besieged enclave, where widespread starvation has been fuelled by Israel’s blockade of food and medical supplies.
UNRWA said its schools, now serving as shelters for “hundreds of thousands” displaced by relentless bombardment, have instead become “places of death, including for too many children. No place is safe for children in Gaza. Ceasefire now.”
Citing UNICEF, the agency noted that since Israel broke a ceasefire agreement five months ago and resumed its assault, an average of more than 540 children have been killed each month.
Footage obtained by Al Jazeera captured the final moments of 12-year-old Amna al-Mufti, shot dead by Israeli forces while fetching water for her family. Her father’s anguish was documented in the aftermath.
Escalating Attacks
At least 51 Palestinians were killed on Tuesday alone, according to health officials. Among them were eight aid seekers gunned down near distribution sites run by the US- and Israeli-backed Global Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) — sites that have become deadly flashpoints, with nearly 2,000 people killed while trying to access aid since late May.
Hospitals reported further casualties in Khan Younis, where at least eight people died after strikes hit tents sheltering displaced families, and in Deir el-Balah, where four more were killed in similar attacks.
In Gaza City, Israeli forces intensified their assault. An airstrike on the Zeitoun neighbourhood killed at least four people and wounded others, health officials said. Heavy bombardments were also reported in the Tuffah district, while Israeli forces destroyed homes in the city’s south.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah, said Israeli operations have “launched a deadly barrage of air strikes on densely populated areas.” He added that more than 450 residential blocks had been destroyed in Zeitoun, with attacks expanding into the neighbouring Sabra district, leading towards the centre of Gaza City.
Ceasefire Proposal
Amid the escalation, diplomatic efforts continued. Qatar confirmed that Hamas has responded positively to a ceasefire proposal, which includes a 60-day truce and a partial exchange of captives for prisoners.
Two Israeli officials said on Tuesday that Israel is reviewing the response, without providing details. However, Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government insists on the return of all captives — alive and dead — before agreeing to a deal.
Source: Al Jazeera
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