Gaza war has killed more children than in four years of worldwide conflict: UNRWA

More children have been reported killed in Israel's war raging in Gaza than in four years of conflict around the world, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said Tuesday.

"Staggering. The number of children reported killed in just over 4 months in #Gaza is higher than the number of children killed in 4 years of wars around the world combined," Philippe Lazzarini said on X, formerly Twitter.

His post referenced United Nations numbers showing that 12,193 children had been killed in conflicts worldwide between 2019 and 2022.

It compared that to reports from the health ministry in the Gaza Strip indicating that more than 12,300 children have been killed in the Palestinian territory between last October and the end of February.

"This war is a war on children. It is a war on their childhood and their future," Lazzarini said.

The brutal war began on October 7 when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,160 people according to Israeli official figures.

Hamas took around 250 hostages, dozens of whom were released during a week-long truce in November. Israel believes about 130 captives remain in Gaza, including 32 presumed dead.

The Palestinian group says its incursion came in response to decades of Israeli aggression and occupation.

Israel's relentless bombardment and ground offensive since October 7 have killed over 31,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the territory's health ministry. As well as dying in strikes, civilians in the territory are starving to death.