A Year of Genocide: The Children of Palestine in 2024

2024 will forever be remembered as a year of unimaginable loss and devastation for the children of Palestine. From the ongoing occupation to the relentless attacks on Gaza, the year brought tragedy after tragedy, with children paying the highest price. The estimates are staggering, with the real number of civilian deaths—including children—believed to be between 200,000 and 300,000. However, the true scale remains uncountable as thousands lie buried under rubble, missing or unrecorded.

The Leading Causes of Death: A Heartbreaking Reality

Palestinian children have faced unspeakable suffering, losing their lives in horrifying ways:

Sniper Fire: Dozens of children, some as young as toddlers, were deliberately targeted and killed by sniper fire. These children were shot during errands, while playing, or even in their own homes.

Bombings: The relentless bombardment of Gaza reduced entire neighborhoods to rubble. Families were wiped out, and thousands of children were killed in their homes or schools, places that should have been safe.

Malnutrition and Starvation: With a total blockade enforced on Gaza, food and medical supplies were scarce. Children died of severe malnutrition, with their fragile bodies unable to fight the diseases that spread in the overcrowded refugee camps.

Freezing to Death: As winter set in, families were left with no shelter, heat, or blankets. Several children froze to death in the biting cold, a tragic reminder of the brutal living conditions forced upon them.

Torture and Detention: The Israeli occupation has also seen hundreds of children imprisoned, often without charges. Many have reported being tortured, abused, and denied medical treatment while in custody.

Collapsed Infrastructure: With hospitals bombed and electricity cut, children succumbed to treatable injuries and diseases. Gaza’s healthcare system was pushed beyond its limits, turning preventable conditions into death sentences.

A Daily Toll of Innocence

The math of loss is horrifying: an estimated 41 children were killed every single day in Gaza throughout 2024. Each number represents a life cut short, a family shattered, and a future stolen.

The Real Figures: Lives Lost Beneath the Rubble

By the end of 2024, the official figures suggested over 21,000 children dead or missing in Gaza alone. However, these numbers fail to account for the countless lives lost beneath the rubble. Entire buildings, streets, and neighborhoods were obliterated in the bombings, leaving bodies uncounted and families unable to mourn their loved ones properly.

A Memorial to Their Lives

In December 2024, we came together to mourn these children in a solemn memorial event. The public left toys and flowers outside Downing Street to remember all the innocent lives lost. This day served not only as a moment of grief but also as a call to action—to demand justice, to amplify the voices of the oppressed, and to remind the world of the atrocities committed.

Never Forgotten

The stories of these children must never fade into silence. Their lives and their suffering demand that we continue to speak out against the ongoing genocide in Palestine. The year 2024 has shown us the depths of human cruelty, but it has also strengthened our resolve to fight for justice, dignity, and freedom for the Palestinian people.