21,976 children martyred in Israeli genocidal war in Gaza
GAZA, Oct. 18 (YPA) – The Gaza-based Health Ministry Director-General Dr. Munir al-Bursh said on Sunday that Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip had martyred 21,976 children, depriving thousands of their right to life.
In a post on X, al-Bursh presented figures documenting the humanitarian catastrophe facing Gaza’s children, including those killed, injured, left with amputations or orphaned, and those awaiting medical evacuation.
He highlighted the killing of a young girl named Misk, saying her smile and beautiful dress represented a childhood that should have been filled with play and life. Instead, her image has become a testament to the deprivation of children’s most basic rights while the world continues as though nothing has happened.
Al-Bursh said grief in Gaza was growing faster than its children, with toys left waiting for little hands that would never return. Mothers, he added, continue to hold on to their children’s names and memories amid loss and the threat of being forgotten.
He stressed that Misk was one of thousands of child victims, each with a name, a smile, a story left unfinished and a family enduring the pain of their absence.
He cited additional figures revealing the scale of the crisis: 972 children have undergone limb amputations, while 62,247 have lost one or both parents. Another 5,200 children urgently require medical evacuation to receive treatment, amid risks to their lives caused by continued delays.
He also reported that 25 children had died from extreme cold inside tents, deprived of adequate shelter and warmth. Meanwhile, 12,000 miscarriages had been recorded among pregnant women, extending the tragedy to mothers and unborn children who were denied the chance to live.
Al-Bursh called on the international community to look beyond the statistics and recognize that every number represents a child who deserved the chance to grow up and a family left to endure the pain of loss. He urged urgent action to save children who remain at risk of death.
He stressed that saving them requires an end to the war, the opening of medical evacuation routes, and guaranteed access to treatment and essential supplies before it is too late. He warned that continued delays would lead to more deaths and more families losing their children.
Al-Bursh concluded by appealing to the world to act before the children’s dreams become memories, their beds remain empty and their mothers are left with only their children’s clothes to embrace.