Gaza’s children in horrific situation as more speak out

By Fr. Shay Cullen

DUBLIN — Children in the Gaza Strip are the first and most affected victims of a war aimed at wiping out the Palestinians from that territory. The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) has said more than 15,000 children in Gaza have been killed, over 34,000 injured, and nearly 1 million displaced. There’s no other place in the world where there are so many child amputees per capita than Gaza. Tens of thousands of Gaza’s children are separated from their parents, many of whom were killed in the Israeli forces’ daily air bombardment of the territory, where more than 2 million people are virtually starving, as Israel has blocked aid from entering Gaza. It only allows its own selected aid organization to deliver food.

Scores of Palestinians are being shot dead as they try to collect food at the few distribution centers in Gaza. The hunger and despair of the thousands of civilians there are causing deep psychological trauma, especially among the children, who are likely to never fully recover from it. The global community has long been shocked by this. Some governments have become more outspoken, like Ireland’s, in condemning the atrocities, but many others are doing nothing to stop the violence. Ireland is one of three European nations — Spain and Norway are the other two — that have recognized Palestinian statehood.

In a statement in May, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris said that since March 2025, 44,000 trucks carrying food and medicine, including four from Ireland, had been blocked from entering Gaza while its people go hungry as constant Israeli attacks continue to kill more of them. “What is happening [in Gaza] goes against our humanity. It goes against the strongly held values of the people of Ireland. It goes against the desire for peace, stability and security,” Harris said. “A failure by the international community to respond to this moment is also a rebuke to multilateralism, to international law, to the universal applicability of human rights at home and across the world,” he added. Harris made it clear that Ireland’s position is to support the Palestinians in their need for peace and justice, and their struggle for survival. He also reiterated his country’s denunciation of the Palestinian militant group that sparked the war in Gaza and great concern over Israel’s retaliatory offensive. “We unequivocally condemn the terror attacks by Hamas in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. We unequivocally condemn the taking of hostages by Hamas and have repeatedly called for their release,” Harris said.

“Hamas have brought nothing but death and destruction to the people of Palestine and Israel alike. We strongly condemn the continuing Israeli military operations in Gaza and are alarmed at reports that Israel plans to extend these operations,” he added.

‘NO PARALLEL’

Another voice condemning the situation in Gaza is that of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who last week described the situation in Gaza as “horrific.” “What we are witnessing in Gaza is a level of death and destruction that has no parallel in recent times,” Guterres told reporters on July 14.

His remarks came amid calls for an immediate ceasefire, which he said was “not enough.” “It is essential that that ceasefire leads to a solution, and that solution can only be possible if both Palestinians and Israelis can have a state where they can exercise their rights,” Guterres said. Hundreds of Palestinians continue to be killed; even children collecting water were not spared. Unicef called such slayings an “outrage that must end,” saying civilians must be protected and treated with dignity. No one, including children, should risk their lives to get food, water or any other aid, it added. UN aid agencies in Gaza said no fuel, basic health services and clean water could be delivered because of the Israeli blockade.

The United Kingdom charity group Save the Children has strongly condemned the British government for continuing to supply Israel with weapons and parts for F-35 fighter jets that are used to bomb and kill thousands of civilians, mostly women and children, in Gaza. “The UK public sees what is happening. They will not be silent while their government is complicit in Israel’s atrocities by continuing to license the transfer of arms,” Save the Children said as it called for their supply to be suspended. Now, another has added his strong voice to the outrage: Israeli former prime minister Ehud Olmert. In a wide-ranging interview with the Guardian newspaper, Olmert claimed that the planned containment of Palestinians in a so-called humanitarian city was actually forced detention in a “concentration camp,” and it would be “ethnic cleansing.” If this plan pushes through, Olmert said, it would be a “blueprint for crimes against humanity.” And once the Palestinians are detained in the camp, they would not be allowed to leave, he added. This project is backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his extremist ministers. Israeli human rights lawyers and scholars have warned that if implemented “under certain conditions, it could amount to the crime of genocide.” Olmert also said the recent killing of a Palestinian American citizen and many more by Israeli settlers in the West Bank aimed to drive out the people there and expand Israel’s borders. “The attacks were war crimes,” he said. “[It is] unforgivable. Unacceptable. There are continuous operations organized, orchestrated in the most brutal, criminal manner by a large group.” “These guys are the enemy from within,” he told the Guardian. “In the United States, there [are] more… expressions of hatred [toward] Israel. “We make a discount to ourselves saying: ‘They are antisemites.’ I don’t think that they are only antisemites; I think many of them are anti-Israel because of what they watch on television, what they watch on social networks.” Meanwhile, Netanyahu continues his war with impunity and with no clear end in sight.