TEHRAN – On World Children's Day, November 20th, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman condemned the ongoing Israeli aggression against Palestinian children in Gaza, calling the situation a "deep wound on the conscience of humanity." 

Esmail Baqaei highlighted the devastating consequences of Israel’s brutal war, citing harrowing statistics: over 17,000 Palestinian children killed, thousands missing, tens of thousands injured (including over a thousand amputations often performed without anesthesia), and more than 35,000 children who have lost one or both parents. Many families have been completely wiped out.

The statement published on X referenced the findings of UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who reported that up to 700 Palestinian children are kidnapped and held hostage each year for extended periods. 

Baqaei further detailed the widespread suffering from malnutrition (claiming the lives of 3,500 children), hunger, disease, and displacement, emphasizing the lack of access to necessities for countless others.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman used the occasion to demand an end to the impunity surrounding these Israeli atrocities against Palestinian children. The statement also called on the international community to hold the regime accountable for its crimes against children. 

As of April 2024, there were over 1.06 million – 1,067,986 – children in the Gaza Strip, making up approximately 47% of its total population, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.

There were an estimated 544,776 males and 523,210 females under the age of 18, with approximately 15% of them being under the age of five, equivalent to 341,790 minors, the bureau’s data showed.  

Children have been the main victims of Israel’s ongoing war against the besieged Gaza Strip which began in October of 2023.