More children have been killed by Israel in Gaza in three weeks than in global conflicts in a single year since 2019, according to nongovernmental organization Save the Children.

Citing numbers from Palestinian health authorities, the group reported that at least 3,324 children have been killed in Gaza, and 36 in West Bank, since Israel began its retaliation against Hamas over their October 7 attacks. 1,000 more are missing, and 6,000 have been injured.

A United Nations report from 2020 to 2022 found that the number of children killed in a given year did not surpass 3,000 across armed-conflicts globally. Armed-conflicts in 24 countries led to the deaths of 2,985 children in 2022, 2,515 in 2021, and 2,674 in 2020, before the total of countries engaged in conflict increased from 22.

Children account for 40 percent of the 8,000 Palestinians who have been killed in the past three weeks. Israel has also cut off Gaza's access to food, water, fuel, and electricity against international law.

Israel refuses to fuel Gaza

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are not permitted to leave, but Israel ordered the 1.1 million Palestinians living in the northern half to evacuate south as they ramped up airstrikes and began a ground invasion over the weekend, against international law.

Israel has also refused to let in emergency fuel, making hospitals unable to care for the estimated 1,000 patients receiving kidney dialysis treatment in Gaza, as well as 130 premature babies in incubators. The United Nations was forced to drastically cut aid efforts in the region as of last week, which were already less than half of 1 percent – or one two-hundredth – of the amount of aid it ordinarily receives.

“One child’s death is one too many, but these are grave violations of epic proportions,” said Jason Lee, Save the Children’s country director for the occupied Palestinian territory. “A ceasefire is the only way to ensure their safety. The international community must put people before politics – every day spent debating is leaving children killed and injured. Children must be protected at all times, especially when they are seeking safety in schools and hospitals.”