Israeli forces have killed nearly 17,000 children in the besieged coastal enclave since October 7 of last year, according to Defense for Children International-Palestine.

“Israeli policies, nonstop bombardment, and ever-expanding ground invasion forcibly displaced children and their families from their homes, forced schools to close, starved children to death, detained and tortured children in Israeli military camps, and disabled thousands of children, many of whom suffer from life-long injuries,” the rights group said in a statement.