The number of children targeted by the war in Gaza is horrifying, marking an unprecedented moral decline on a global scale. This has allowed for the brutal assault on those in dire need of protection.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 14,000 children have lost their lives since October 7, 2023. Approximately half of the deceased remain partially unidentified due to the severe damage to their bodies. Recently discovered mass graves include children’s bodies bearing signs of torture and summary executions, with possible cases of people being buried alive.

Death, however, is not the only grim fate facing Gaza’s children. Around 21,000 children are missing amidst the chaos of the relentless Israeli offensive. Many are trapped under rubble, detained, buried in unknown graves, or separated from their families. A recent report by Save The Children highlights that the recent displacement caused by attacks in Rafah has further separated children from their familial environments.

Although some children have found refuge with extended families or neighbors, these households struggle to meet the basic needs of their members. This places immense pressure on these families to continue caring for the unaccompanied children.

Repeated displacement due to security threats, which we can barely watch on television, increases the risk of children facing abuse and severe violations, including the fear of bombings, hunger, and witnessing the dismemberment of family members.

Despite the difficulty in obtaining precise statistics on injuries and fatalities, intersecting reports from international organizations indicate that approximately 17,000 children are unaccompanied or completely separated from their families, and 4,000 children are believed to be trapped under the rubble. Perhaps most alarming, according to the Save the Children report, is that an unknown number of children are buried in mass graves.

Additionally, other children have been forcibly disappeared, possibly detained, or transferred from Gaza, with their whereabouts unknown to their families. Reports indicate these children face mistreatment and torture while in detention.

Recently, the world witnessed a new atrocity following the brutal attack on displacement camps in Rafah, which has been dubbed the “Holocaust of the Second Millennium.” Reports indicate a significant number of victims, mostly children, who were burned alive by Israeli bombs.

Perhaps the most excruciating agony is that even in death, families are often unable to bury their children due to the severe disfigurement of bodies, making identification impossible. The most painful torment for families who have lost contact with their children is not knowing the fate of their missing child.

The history of targeting children as a tool of war during genocides is replete with similar violations. In 2021, mass graves of indigenous children were discovered on lands belonging to Canadian residential schools. These institutions, disguised as missionary efforts, aimed to dismantle indigenous identities by forcibly removing children from their communities and placing them in prison-like boarding schools. These schools sought to forcibly integrate indigenous children into the new Canadian society. In 2015, around 6,000 survivors of these institutions testified to experiencing sexual abuse, physical assault, and humiliation, leading Canada and the Catholic Church to acknowledge these practices, which began with the colonization of native lands in the 1900s, as cultural genocide against indigenous peoples in Canada.

These schools witnessed numerous child deaths due to mistreatment, neglect, and disease. The colonizers deliberately buried these children in unmarked graves far from their families.

The discovery of nearly 7,000 bodies in unknown graves caused a significant shock, reopening old wounds for the indigenous people in Canada. Children are the cornerstone of communities, and their killing signifies the destruction of the foundation of indigenous societies.

In Argentina, following the fascist military coup of 1976, the military government imposed a highly repressive regime. Military forces pursued, tortured, and killed regime opponents. Thousands were abducted from their homes, workplaces, and streets without any trial or formal charges. Many remain missing to this day, their fates unknown.

During this period, the military brutally crushed its opponents, taking at least 500 children from their families and placing them with military couples to be raised. Many of these children still live unaware of their true identities.

In Vietnam, as the war ended, the U.S. military organized operations to transport children to the United States. There, they were placed in foster care or with American families. Many faced difficulties adapting to the new environment and the significant cultural differences between Vietnam and the United States. Over the years, some began searching for their biological families in Vietnam.

The killing of children in Gaza, their separation from families, their mistreatment, detention, and burial in unknown graves, are all deliberate acts, not accidental or collateral damage. These practices are combat strategies entrenched in warfare without accountability or legal consequences.