At least four people were killed and 40 others injured when Israeli warplanes hit a courtyard at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gazan city of Deir al-Balah, burning dozens of tents as displaced Palestinians slept.

The horrifying images of children killed and burnt in Israel’s recent bombing of tents in central Gaza “should shock the world to its core,” the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said.

“Today, our screens were once again filled with horrifying reports of children killed, burned, and families emerging from bombed tents in Gaza. These should shock the world to its core,” UNICEF said on X on Monday.

There is no safe place for children in Gaza.

This shameful violence against children must end now. pic.twitter.com/uz79ZFdE4T

— UNICEF (@UNICEF) October 14, 2024

At least four people were killed and 40 others injured when Israeli warplanes hit a courtyard at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gazan city of Deir al-Balah late on Sunday, burning dozens of tents as displaced Palestinians slept.

Medical teams evacuated several injured Palestinians, including women and children, who were caught ablaze in the fire.

“Attacks on shelters in Deir al-Balah and at al-Aqsa hospital, which reportedly killed 15 children, prove again that there is no safe place in Gaza,” UNICEF stated, adding: “This shameful violence against children must end now.”

‘Obligations Disregarded’

Last week, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stressed that “As every day passes, the lives of children across Israel, the State of Palestine, and Lebanon are torn apart in unimaginable ways.”

She said all the parties “are obligated” to protect civilians, including children, humanitarian workers, and civilian infrastructure, including schools and health facilities.

“Parties must allow unfettered access to life-saving aid,” Russell said, adding “These obligations are flagrantly disregarded.”

Inferno in Deir Al-Balah – Israel Burns Displaced Palestinians Alive at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital

She pointed out that “tens of thousands of children have died, while thousands more “are in captivity, displaced, orphaned, out of school, and suffer trauma from violence and war.”

“The deaths and suffering of children are shameful. The daily bloodshed and horror for children are an affront to the most fundamental values of humanity. The violence against children, the most vulnerable among us, must end.”

Ongoing Genocide

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 42,289 Palestinians have, to date, been killed, and 98,684 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

‘Depths of Hell’ – Save the Children Confirms No Place is Safe in Gaza

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

Famine and Displacement

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.

(PC, Anadolu)