- On Saturday, a surprise attack by Hamas resulted in a declaration of war from Israel.
- Israel began air strikes on the Gaza Strip, which resulted in scores of civilian deaths.
Scores of people have been killed following Hamas's surprise attack on Israel on Saturday, to which Israel responded by declaring war.
In Gaza, at least 614 children out of 1,900 people have been killed as of Friday evening by relentless Israeli airstrikes on the region, per the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The Defense of Children in Palestine, an organization based in the West Bank, tracks the deaths of kids in Palestine. The organization has been able to verify over 100 of them. In some instances, entire families end up dead. Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP, told Insider the situation is "horrifying."
Nearly half of Gaza's population is under the age of 18, and the rising death toll poses a children's rights crisis in the strip, where 2.3 million live in a roughly 140 square mile stretch of land about the size of the city of Philadelphia.
"In short, there is nobody safe in the Gaza Strip because the Israeli missiles reach everywhere, and we received reports that some of the families moved from this place to another place in order to seek refuge and that place was targeted," Abu Eqtaish said.
Abu Eqtaish attributed many deaths to the targeting of civilian areas by Israel without prior warning from forces. He feared there would also be more deaths among children in the West Bank. The organization has tracked five deaths of children in the West Bank as of Saturday.
In addition to mass casualties, Abu Eqtaish also said that "around the clock" children were being exposed to the sounds and sights of war. Children in the region are already prone to mental health issues as a result of the 16-year blockade in Gaza, a report from Save the Children found.
"It has its effect on the psychological well-being of children, and I think the majority of children who are living in Gaza don't have the resiliency in order to pass through the situation because they were bankrupted previously," Abu Eqtaish said. "Every human being has limited capacity in order to cope with such situations."
Grave violations against children
Human rights advocates who spoke with Insider said that children's rights violations by Israel in Gaza and the West Bank have long been an issue before this current conflict.
As a part of the United Nations tracking on human rights, the international organization sets standards for children's rights as well.
This includes everything from the right for children to maintain ties with their parents, the right to freedom of expression, and the right to be alive.
The UN also maintains a "List of Shame," which tracks grave violations against children during armed conflict. Grave violations range from killing and maiming to sexual violence.
Israel should've been on that list, Human Rights Watch has said, but so far it has avoided it despite being cited as one of the countries with the highest number of grave violations.
Palestinian children have already been dying at the hands of Israeli forces and settlers.
"Palestinian armed groups have also committed violations against children," Human Rights Watch wrote in June of this year. "While also not on the list, they should be held accountable as well. But the secretary-general's continued unwillingness to hold Israeli forces accountable for massive violations puts many children at risk."
Akshaya Kumar, the director of Crisis Advocacy at HRW, told Insider she couldn't imagine Israel staying off the list after the event of this week.
"It's been one of the sources of shame for the UN that for many years, despite these grave violations against children taking place, Israel has not been listed," Kumar said.
Abu Eqtaish argued that the US's uncritical support for Israel will result in more civilian casualties.
"I think that it's the responsibility of all of us to protect civilians and children, to put pressure on their governments in order to direct this pressure on Israel to stop this insane war," Abu Eqtaish said.