Almost 70 percent of those killed in the Gaza Strip after Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7 are women and children. This was stated by Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
He cited data from Save the Children, which reported on October 29 that nearly 3,200 children were killed in Gaza in just three weeks, which is more than the number of children killed annually in global conflicts since 2019.
According to him, such a number of victims "cannot be considered collateral damage," noting that churches, mosques, hospitals and UNRWA facilities, including those sheltering displaced people, were targeted.
He emphasized that the continuous bombardment of the Gaza Strip by the Israeli Defense Forces is "shocking" and added that the level of destruction is "unprecedented" and the human tragedy is "unbearable." Lazzarini emphasized that "there is no safe place in Gaza now".
Lazzarini added that the atrocities committed by Hamas "do not absolve Israel of its obligations under international humanitarian law."
"Every war has its own rules, and this one is no exception," he said.
