Gaza death toll nears 23,000 as Israeli police kill ‘toddler’ in West Bank

At least 22,835 Palestinians, including over 9,600 children, have been killed by the Israeli army since the start of the war, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

It said at least 113 Palestinians were killed and another 250 injured between Saturday and Sunday, Doha broadcaster Al Jazeera reports.

The spokesperson of Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza has said more than 8,000 Palestinians in Gaza are missing, presumed to be buried under downed buildings, and tens of thousands have been displaced.

Real numbers are believed to be much higher as the authorities in Gaza have been unable to regularly update casualty numbers since last November amid a collapse of the enclave’s health system.

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In similar vein, Israeli media outlets have reported that a three-year-old Palestinian child was killed during what Israeli authorities said was a car-ramming attack that targeted a military checkpoint near the Givat Ze’ev settlement in the occupied West Bank.

Haaretz cited Israeli police as saying that the child was shot by Israeli border police officers and was not in the vehicle.

The Jerusalem Post also reported that the toddler was “accidentally shot and killed”.

An advocacy group, Save the Children has on Sunday said that more than 10 children lose limbs every day in Gaza.

Since October 7, more than 1,000 children have had one or both legs amputated, according to UNICEF.

Children have been disproportionately affected by the onslaught.

Meanwhile, Catholic Bishop of Yola Diocese, Reverend Doctor Stephen Dami Mamza, has expressed his concern over the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has claimed the lives of over eight thousand innocent children.

Speaking at the Holy Childhood Association of the Catholic Diocese of Yola during its Day with the Bishop, Bishop Mamza condemned the killing of children and women who are not involved in the conflict.

The war, which began on October 7, 2023, has resulted in the death of many innocent children and women, causing Bishop Mamza to call for an end to the violence.