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Some 3,000 children in Gaza killed by Israel: Palestine's UN envoy

Israeli air strikes in Gaza resulted in the deaths of 7,000 Palestinians and the destruction of over 40 percent of the enclave's residents, resulting in the displacement of 1.4 million people.

AP

Some 1,600 Palestinians still lie under the rubble, killed or injured and no one can reach them, to save them or bury them, Riyas Mansour said. / Photo: AP

Some 3,000 children have been killed by Israel since the attacks it launched on October 7, Palestine's UN envoy said.

"I repeat, 3,000 children, innocent children, angels killed in Gaza during the last three weeks," Riyad Mansour said in an emotional address to an emergency UN General Assembly session on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

"There is no time to mourn, more death is on the way," Mansour warned.

Mansour said 7,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza, saying that fully 70 percent of all those killed are women and children.

"Is this the war some of you are defending? These are crimes. This is barbarism. If you don’t stop it for all those who were killed, stop it for all those whose lives we can still save," he implored.

Some 1,600 Palestinians still lie under the rubble, killed or injured and no one can reach them, to save them or bury them, he said.

Widespread destruction

The ambassador also said that Israel has destroyed over 40 percent of all homes in Gaza, making an entire population homeless and displacing 1.4 million people, in the hope to forcibly transferring them outside of the territory.

Mansour also cited Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's remarks at the Security Council calling for the release of the hostages held by Hamas, saying: "Bring them home."

"For millions of Palestinians, there is no home to go back to. For thousands, there is no family left to embrace. Not by an act of God, but by the acts of a government represented here," said Mansour.

"Vengeance is dead and the only path forward is justice," he added.

The conflict in Gaza began on October 7 when the Palestinian resistance group Hamas initiated Operation Al Aqsa Flood – a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air.

Hamas said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

The Israeli military then launched an indiscriminate bombardment in Gaza, targeting hospitals, schools, residential areas, and even evacuation convoys.

Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been running out of food, water, medicine, and fuel, and aid convoys recently allowed into Gaza have carried only a fraction of what is needed.