Ramallah, March 18, 2025—At least 174 Palestinian children in Gaza were killed in Israeli airstrikes early this morning, marking one of the largest one-day death tolls since the beginning of the genocide.
Israeli forces launched a massive attack on the Gaza Strip in the early morning hours of March 18, killing more than 400 Palestinians, including at least 174 children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The death toll is expected to sharply rise as many people are missing under the rubble of buildings destroyed in the attacks. The airstrikes mark a distinct violation of the truce agreement between the Israeli government and Palestinian armed groups, indicating that Israel is prepared to resume full-scale military operations against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
“Today marks one of the largest one-day child death tolls in Gaza in history,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP. “Israeli forces have signed a death warrant for Palestinian children in Gaza as they carry out nonstop attacks, continue to destroy civilian infrastructure, and prevent any humanitarian aid from reaching Palestinians in need. This is nothing short of genocide.”
More than 18,000 Palestinian children have been killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The true death toll is likely to be much higher, and children continue to suffer from serious communicable and preventable conditions like hypothermia, malnutrition, dehydration, and scabies.
Israeli authorities have refused to allow any goods or humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip since March 2, drastically impacting Palestinians’ access to clean water, food, fuel, electricity, medical supplies, and other essential goods and services.
Under international humanitarian law, Israel, as an occupying power, is obligated to ensure the well-being and survival of the civilian population and to prevent conditions that cause unnecessary suffering. Israel’s forced displacement, the denial of adequate shelter, and policies that expose civilians to life-threatening conditions constitute serious violations of international law, amounting to war crimes.
