UNICEF: Israeli Attack on Gaza Hospital's Refugee Camps Shocks the World

Author: Dian Kencana
October 16, 2024

At least four Palestinians were killed and 40 others injured in an Israeli attack on tents in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Hospital, and the hospital is now filled with the wounded as of early Monday morning (14/10/2024), according to local media reports. (ANTARA)

SEAToday.com, Washington - The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) condemns Israel's attack on refugee tents on the grounds of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the Gaza Strip on Sunday (10/13), as a world-shaking tragedy.

On Monday (14/10) through its social media X, UNICEF cited “horrific reports of children killed, burned and families driven out of bombarded tents in Gaza.”

“This shakes the world to its core,” the organization said, adding.

At least four fatalities and 40 injuries were reported after Israel launched airstrikes on the hospital in central Gaza, setting dozens of Palestinian refugee tents on fire.

Medical teams managed to evacuate a number of the wounded, including women and children, whose clothes were burned in the attack that triggered the violent explosion.

“The attack on the refugee camp in Deir al-Balah and Al Aqsa Hospital, which reportedly killed 15 children, proves once again that there is no safe haven in Gaza,” UNICEF said.

“Such shameful violence against children must end now,” the UN agency emphasized.

Nearly 42,400 Gazans - mostly women and children - have lost their lives and nearly 100,000 others have been injured in Israel's military aggression since October 7, 2023, which now has the potential to spark conflict in the wider region.

The aggression has also left almost the entire population of Gaza suffering from severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine due to Israel's blockade of the Palestinian enclave.

Hospitals, schools and places of worship, which are protected by the laws of war, have not been spared from attacks, proving the existence of war crimes committed by Israel.

Despite pressure from the international community through UN Security Council resolutions and International Court of Justice rulings on the crime of genocide, Israel continues its aggression in the Gaza Strip.