At least 322 children killed since Israel's new Gaza offensive, Unicef says

The United Nations bureau for children says that astatine slightest 322 children are reported to person been killed since Israel launched a renewed violative successful Gaza 2 weeks ago.

Unicef said astatine slightest 609 different children were reportedly wounded during the aforesaid period.

"The ceasefire successful Gaza provided a desperately needed lifeline for Gaza's children and anticipation for a way to recovery," said Unicef Executive Director Catherine Russell. "But children person again been plunged into a rhythm of deadly unit and deprivation."

Israel launched its renewed Gaza violative connected 18 March, blaming Hamas for rejecting a caller US connection to widen the ceasefire and escaped the 59 hostages inactive held captive successful Gaza.

Hamas, successful turn, accused Israel of violating the archetypal woody they had agreed to successful January.

Unicef said "relentless and indiscriminate bombardments" had resumed successful Gaza, with 100 children killed oregon maimed each time successful the 10 days to 31 March.

Most of the children who were killed had been displaced and were sheltering successful makeshift tents oregon damaged homes, it said.

Unicef uses figures released by Gaza's Hamas-run wellness ministry - figures which Israel has consistently disputed. The figures are seen by the UN and different planetary institutions arsenic being reliable.

International journalists, including the BBC, are blocked by Israel from entering Gaza independently, truthful are incapable to verify figures from either side.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC it is "committed to mitigating civilian harm during operational activity" and to "respecting each applicable planetary ineligible obligations, including the instrumentality of equipped conflict".

It said it "makes large efforts to estimation and see imaginable civilian collateral harm successful its strikes".

Since the warfare began much than 18 months ago, Unicef said that 15,000 children person reportedly been killed, implicit 34,000 reportedly injured, and astir 1 cardinal children repeatedly displaced.

The humanitarian concern crossed Gaza has dramatically worsened successful caller weeks, with Israel refusing to let assistance into the Gaza Strip since 2 March - the longest assistance blockage since the warfare began.

"Without these indispensable supplies, malnutrition, diseases and different preventable conditions volition apt surge, starring to an summation successful preventable kid deaths," Unicef wrote successful a property release.

The UN announced it was reducing its operations successful Gaza connected 24 March, 1 time aft 8 Palestinian medics, six Civil Defence archetypal responders and a UN unit subordinate were killed by Israeli forces successful confederate Gaza.

The IDF launched a run to destruct Hamas, which is designated a violent radical by Israel, the UK, the US and different countries, successful effect to an unprecedented cross-border onslaught connected 7 October 2023, successful which astir 1,200 radical were killed and 251 taken hostage.

More than 50,399 radical person been killed successful Gaza during the ensuing war, according to the Hamas-run wellness ministry.