UNICEF urges cease-fire as death toll of children in Gaza surpasses 14,000

The death toll of children in Gaza has surpassed the grim mark of 14,000 since Oct. 7, 2023, the UNICEF said on Friday, reiterating its call for a cease-fire, Anadolu Agency reported.

It said that James Elder, the organization’s spokesperson, has highlighted the appalling figure of girls and boys killed in Gaza in his statement on X, calling for an immediate ceasefire and discouraging any further military offensive.

Israel has waged an offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, in which nearly 1,200 people were killed.

Nearly 34,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 76,800 others have been injured besides causing mass destruction, displacement and conditions of famine.

Despite international pressure and calls for peace, Israeli forces have launched an incursion into Tulkarm and its refugee camp in the northern West Bank, resulting in seven deaths as of Friday.

At least 10 people, many women and children, have been killed in Israeli air attacks on residential homes in Gaza’s Rafah city.