Findings Reveal Targeting of Young Children
A BBC World Service investigation has documented more than 160 cases of Palestinian children shot by Israeli forces in Gaza. At least 95 of those were struck in the head or chest, with most victims under the age of 12.
The killings span from October 2023, when Israel launched its assault on Gaza, through July 2025. The findings highlight the disproportionate impact of the genocide on the enclave’s youngest and most vulnerable.
Children Killed in Supposed Safe Zones
Eyewitness accounts and human rights groups report that some children were shot while fleeing combat zones, while many others were killed in areas labeled by Israel as humanitarian “safe zones” or evacuation corridors.
Two-year-old Layan was shot dead alongside her father, and six-year-old Mira was killed by a sniper in the back of her chest near one of these marked corridors. The BBC also reviewed a televised clip of an Israeli commander telling troops to “shoot at everyone they see.”
Doctors Describe ‘Target Practice’
Doctors who recently returned from Gaza say the injuries they treated strongly suggest deliberate targeting of children.
Dr. Nick Maynard, a surgeon at Oxford University Hospitals, said patterns of wounds indicated intentional shootings: “It looked like a game of target practice.” He described how four teenage boys, all between 13 and 14, arrived on the same day with identical gunshot wounds to their testicles.
Dr. Ambereen Sleemi of the International Medical Response Foundation said she was “completely unprepared” for the scale of brutality but resolved to return. She also condemned the silence of U.S. medical institutions, while praising Gaza’s health workers as heroes under siege.
Genocide Charges Mount Internationally
Israeli rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights–Israel describe the campaign as genocide, pointing to the systematic destruction of Palestinian society and the collapse of Gaza’s health system.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice continues to hear a genocide case against Israel for its assault on Gaza.
Mass Deaths of Gaza’s Children
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, since October 2023 at least 50,000 children have been killed or injured in Israel’s ongoing attacks. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees has warned that the genocide claims a “classroom of children” every single day.
Doctors, rights groups, and international observers say the overwhelming evidence shows Gaza’s children are not accidental victims of war but deliberate targets in a systematic campaign of annihilation.
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