
Operation Protective Edge: A war
waged on Gaza's children
- Ramallah, April 16,
2015 —Defense for Children
International Palestine today
released a report, Operation
Protective Edge: A War Waged on
Children, detailing the high price
paid by children during Israel’s
assault on Gaza last summer.
Operation Protective Edge, which
lasted 50 days between July 8 and
August 26, claimed the lives of
2,220 Palestinians, including at
least 1,492 civilians, according to
the United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA). DCIP independently verified
the deaths of 547 Palestinian
children among the killed in Gaza,
535 of them as a direct result of
Israeli attacks. Nearly 68 percent
of the children killed by Israeli
forces were 12 years old or younger.
Five Israeli civilians, including a
child, and 67 Israeli soldiers also
lost their lives.
“Repeated Israeli military
offensives and Israel’s complete
disregard for international law have
thwarted any meaningful efforts
toward implementing comprehensive
protections for Palestinian children,”
said Khaled Quzmar, general director
of DCIP. “The international
community must demand an end to
Israel's illegal blockade of Gaza
and challenge systemic impunity by
investigating allegations of war
crimes and holding the perpetrators
accountable.” >>>
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