UNICEF: More than 100 children killed in Gaza since ceasefire

More than 100 minors have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the truce in October, according to the UN children’s agency UNICEF.

The organization reported 60 boys and 40 girls under the age of 18 had died.

The health ministry in the Gaza Strip, which is run by Hamas militants, confirmed the figures and described itself as the main source for UNICEF’s data. UN organizations have consistently described the ministry’s figures as reliable.

The health authority’s figures could not be independently verified.

The Israeli army said on request that it never deliberately targets children and always tries to spare civilians during its operations. It said that under the truce agreement the military had targeted only terror targets or responded to Hamas violations of the accord.

The army also urged caution regarding the health authority’s figures. The military’s information could not be independently verified either.

UNICEF spokesman James Elder, who is in the Gaza Strip, said the fatalities were mainly due to air and drone strikes.

“The bombings have slowed but not stopped,” he said.

He added that some victims had also been hit by gunfire and a few had been killed by previously unexploded ordnance. He believes the true number of those killed was higher, as UNICEF only counts what it sees as verified cases.

Six children have already died of hypothermia this winter in Gaza, Elder said.

Thousands of people are staying in tents amid the widespread destruction in icy cold and rain. Night-time temperatures in the Gaza Strip are currently dropping to around 10 degrees Celsius, with heavy rain and storms.