Gaza media office: 490 children killed by Israeli forces in 20 days

By Mohamed Majed and Mohammad Sio

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Israeli forces have killed 490 Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip over the past 20 days, according to a statement released Sunday by the Gaza media office, which denounced the deaths as part of an ongoing genocide against civilians in the enclave.

In a statement, the office described the actions as “one of the most horrific crimes against humanity in modern times,” accusing Israel of continuing to carry out brutal massacres against defenseless civilians in Gaza, with children being a primary target of airstrikes.

“Over the past twenty days, Israel has committed a shocking act of genocide against childhood, with 490 children martyred in a series of barbaric attacks,” the statement read. “This brings the total number of martyrs during this period to 1,350.”

The statement rejected Israeli claims that civilian casualties are merely incidental, instead arguing that the figures alone reflect a deliberate, systematic policy of targeting Palestinian children in violation of international law.

Last weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to escalate attacks on Gaza as efforts are underway to implement US President Donald Trump's plan to displace Palestinians from the enclave.

Nearly 50,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.