We are in the midst of another terrifying Israeli onslaught on Gaza. Once again, children are on the frontline. To date, of those killed in Gaza (212), more than a quarter (61) are children, with more than 1,500 people wounded. Ten people in Israel have been killed by rockets fired from Gaza, including two children.
Seven years ago, Israel’s 50-day bombardment of Gaza by land, air and sea, dubbed Operation Protective Edge, resulted in 2,202 deaths, 526 of whom were children and 257 women, according to Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem. The 72 Israeli fatalities included 62 soldiers and six civilians, including a four-year-old child.
After the 2014 onslaught, UNICEF suggested that 373,000 Palestinian children need “immediate psycho-social first aid” to manage the stress, trauma and anxiety resulting from the brutalising and close-hand impact of war.
