UNICEF warns that the killing of Palestinian children in Gaza and the West Bank is becoming a “new reality

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned against the continued killing of Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, stressing that this should not become a “new reality” or a normal occurrence.

UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Edward Beigbeder, said in a statement on Wednesday that eight children were killed and 17 others injured in five different locations in the Gaza Strip over the weekend, while a seven-month-old baby was killed in the West Bank after being shot by Israeli forces in Hebron.

He explained that the children in Gaza were injured while playing football as a result of close-range gunfire, while the infant in the West Bank was killed while in a car with his mother.

The UN official stressed the need to stop targeting children, calling for transparent investigations and accountability for those responsible for any violations, emphasizing that protecting children and adhering to international humanitarian law and human rights is a “non-negotiable obligation.”