Gaza Health: More than 16,000 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war

The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced this evening (Monday) that more than 16,000 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the Israeli war on October 7, 2023.

The director of field hospitals at the ministry, Marwan al-Hams, said during a press conference at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, that “16,278 children have been killed since the outbreak of the war, including 908 infants under one year old, and 311 who were born during the war and subsequently killed—an average of one child every 40 minutes.”

He added that the deterioration of the health situation has worsened after Israel closed the crossings since the beginning of March, disrupting primary healthcare services due to shelling or their location within evacuation zones, depriving thousands of children and pregnant women of medical services.

He stated that the shortage of medicines for women’s and children’s health has reached 51%, including nutritional supplements, vitamins, and infant formula. He noted that polio vaccines are still prohibited from entering, threatening the emergence of epidemics.

Al-Hamas pointed out that 57 people, including children, have died due to malnutrition and health complications, amid a severe shortage of therapeutic milk, particularly for children with special needs.