The Norwegian Refugee Council confirmed that 11 of over 60 children killed by Israeli air strikes in Gaza over the last week were participating in its psycho-social program aimed at helping them deal with trauma.
A child cycles by a targeted ice factory in eastern Gaza City 5/11/2021 (M. Hajjar/NRC)
By the Norwegian Refugee Council
All of the children between 5 and 15 years old were killed in their homes in densely populated areas along with countless other relatives who died or received injuries.
Rula Mohammad al-Kawlak, 5. (Al-Kawlak family/DCIP/NRC)
“We are devastated to learn that eight children we were helping with trauma were bombarded while they were at home and thought they were safe,” said NRC’s Secretary General Jan Egeland. “They are now gone, killed with their families, buried with their dreams and the nightmares that haunted them. We call on Israel to stop this madness: children must be protected. Their homes must not be targets. Schools must not be targets. Spare these children and their families. Stop bombing them now.”
The children NRC assisted included Lina Iyad Sharir, 15, who was killed with both of her parents in their home on May 11 in Gaza City’s Al Manara neighborhood. Her two-year-old sister Mina sustained third degree burns and remains in critical condition.
Yara Mohammad al-Kawlak, 9. (Al-Kawlak family/DCIP/NRC)
Hala Hussein al-Rifi, 13, was killed on the night of May 12 when an air strike hit the Salha residential building in Gaza City’s Tal Al-Hawa neighborhood. The attack also killed four-year-old Zaid Mohammad Telbani and his mother Rima, who was five months pregnant. Zaid’s sister remains missing and is presumed dead.
Multiple air raids on 16 May in Al Wahda Street in central Gaza City killed six children that NRC worked with, together with several family members. These included Tala Ayman Abu al-Auf, 13, and her 17-year-old brother. Their father, Dr Ayman Abu al-Auf, was the head of internal medicine at Gaza City’s Shifa hospital. He was also killed.
The same attacks also killed Rula Mohammad al-Kawlak, 5, Yara, 9, and Hala, 12 – all sisters – together with their cousin Hana, 14, and several other of their relatives, as well as sisters Dima and Mira Rami al-Ifranji, 15 and 11, and neighbour Dana Riad Hasan Ishkantna, 9.
Tala Ayman Abu al-Auf, 13. (Abu al-Auf family/DCIP/NRC)
In the same area on 17 May, Rafeef Murshed Abu Dayer, 10, another student helped by NRC, was killed after shrapnel hit her together with her two brothers, who were having lunch in the garden of the Ghazi Shawa building. Rafeef’s 11th birthday would have been next week on 25 May.
NRC works with 118 schools in the Gaza Strip, reaching more than 75,000 students through its psycho-social intervention, the Better Learning Programme.
“As an urgent measure, we appeal to all parties for an immediate ceasefire so that we can reach those in need and spare more civilians,” Egeland said. “But the truth is that there can be no peace or security as long as there are systemic injustices. The siege of Gaza needs to be lifted and the occupation of Palestinians must end if we are to avoid more trauma and death among children and new cycles of destruction every few years.”
Details of the victims were compiled by Defence for Children International Palestine (DCIP)
Names of children killed who were assisted by NRC:
Lina Iyad Sharir, 15
Hala Hussein al-Rifi, 13
Dima Rami al-Ifranji, 15
Mira Rami al-Ifranji, 11
Tala Ayman Abu al-Auf, 13
Dana Riad Ishkantna, 9
Rafeef Murshed Abu Dayer, 10
Yara Mohammad al-Kawlak, 9
Rula Mohammad al-Kawlak, 5
Hala Mohammad al-Kawlak, 12
Hana Shukri al-Kawlak, 14
- Since May 10, 50 education facilities have been damaged, with at least six sustaining major damage. Reports indicate that a number of these schools were directly hit by airstrikes or tank shells.
- In the Gaza Strip, the wellbeing of students declined between 2019 (pre-Covid-19) and 2020 (in the midst of Covid-19). Prior to Covid-19, 80 percent of student in Gaza had a positive outlook on the future. By September 2020, this had dropped to 29 percent.
- Likewise, learning from home proved to be a significant challenge for students in Gaza. Prior to Covid-19, 76 percent felt they could easily concentrate on doing their schoolwork, likely because at that time they were doing this in school. In September 2020, when all students in Gaza were completing their schoolwork at home, only 27 percent felt this way.
These children and their families deserved better of our governments. Stop arming is real. I support bds
We have the names, lets get the photos also of all the kids also. And I observe thet some of the kids are related – so they came from same family. Where are the parents? What a loss!
It is difficult to describe with words strong enough. Israel is a criminal State. Netanyahu must be brought before the International Criminal Court and put on trial for Crimes Against Humanity. When found guilty he should be given the harshest sentence allowed by law. If the US won’t do this then Russia must do it. I don’t think I have ever been this disgusted with my country (USA) in my life of 76 years; more so than when we were bullying Vietnam at the cost of millions of lives (our military, their military and thd lives of civilian Vietnamese children, women and men). We are not a Nation of peace as our history so well proves.
Israel is getting as bad as Nazi Germany in the 2nd WW.
It looks clear to me they want to exterminate ALL Palestinians in their land….. And the world is just watching it all….. Just like in 2nd WW…..
Nothing gets better on our planet!
Criticising Israel for their actions against the Palestinians is not Antisemitism …..
Jenny, thanks for your words of truth. I can see the beginning of the end of Zionist Israel. I believe the nations of the world will soon leave Israel stranded by itself. The US, too, if our government continues to prop up Israel with our tax dollars and military power. People around the world are sick and tired of the Zionist Jews actions. Their actions are a direct threat to world peace and could lead to world annihilation by nuclear war. All it would take is for that nut case Netanyahu to push the “button”! My real question is why do we, the American people, tolerate this. Why? Because we are the product of a country that has lied since its birth that we are a nation of peace. History proves this lie. We are a Nation whose economy depends on war. In our entire history we have fighting someone somewhere for all but a decade or two. We are living a lie!
If you, religious practitioners, of all suasions, are capable of atonement, notice, once again, the dehumanization!
Resistance is as natural as the very flame of the human spirit, in opposing any of the forms of the winds of oppressive annihilation. And who should know better than the victims! But sanity no longer rules in Israel, if it ever did!
Israel’s illegal land confiscations, through the last half-century-plus, are not seen as provocations, only indigenous Palestinians’ protestations in response to these criminal land grabs, and the continuing demolishing of an already crumbling Palestinian State infrastructure, in occupied territory and Gaza, are seen as such.
The Israelis do not see their actions as the brazen provocations that they are. There are none so blind as those who will not see! It is, therefore, that Israel sees itself as entitled to retaliate with brutal overkill of innocents, just as the Nazi menace, in days past, attempted to carry out against them, in the pursuit of its own so-called “Lebensraum”.
The overwhelming genocidal terror of the Israeli State being committed against its fellow Semitic neighbors, is paranoid insanity on full display, with the entire world once again as witness.
Additionally, what is not seen by Israel is that the atrocities it is again perpetrating on innocent Palestinians, is just as unforgiveable as was the Nazi attempt to exterminate those of Judaic religious affiliation, during WW II.
Yet today the German nation state is accepted as a steadfast supporter – working hand-in-glove with Israel, in its homicidal attempt to do unto ‘others’ what was done to them, by their now fully reoriented, but rightly so, still guilt-ridden benefactor.
No qualms here, for the rabid Zionist Israelis! Forgiving the guilty is an admirable human trait, yet today’s guiltless victims deserve the misguided wrath of today’s victimizers???
Until the innocent Palestinians concede that they are the interlopers on their own soil, without lifting a hand to defend themselves, with any form of resistance, they will ruthlessly be persecuted until… the onlookers finally wake up
As our Jewish brethren ought, by now to concede, having known first-hand – in the face of actual imminent premeditated mass genocide – the spirit of resistance kindled facing this terror, is the same, universally admirable human trait, in all of us.
Stop buying and launching rockets into a populated civilized country might be a good start at protecting beautiful children.
This is truly upsetting.
Shame on Israel and shame on their supporters.
Evil, evil people!
My Sadness,World Leaders are doing Nothing to try to stop this Murderous war.The UK, America, and the EU are all at Fault. The UK and the USA including the EU still supplying Arms to Israel that are used in these War Crimes (on both sides) Israel appears to be the Biggest Threat yet within the Arabain countryside! Threats to use Nuclear weapons if any Country interfere’s .The UN must step in Now
Change starts from the bottom up. It is up to all of us.
So distressful..
Was there any adults killed or were only those children killed.. I mean, how do they manage to target children, and why children is the question, suspicion is the report do mention only children, for this part. Why are tey targetted? Furthermore to be a target surveillance tracking is at work.. An abomination so extremely e il..
The statement mentions that many of the children died with their parents
The Jewish people think they are God’s gift….. They believe they are superior as a race…..
A bit of humility would help!!!
If you are not liked get over it!
Your hatred towards Arabic people is quite obvious too.
“I mean how do they target children . . . . “,
Mam, you and many others are experiencing the fog Israels policy of selfrighteous free pass to kill anyone they term is a danger. If you happen to be standing next to that person then, “Too bad, how could you do that to yourself?”
Needless to say, if this was the result of actions taken by official enemies this would be front page news and subject to all sorts of high profile public hand-wringing. Samantha Power used to bring photos of deceased Syrian children to flash before Russian diplomats at the UN under circumstances far less directly attributable. Israel deploys hi-tech highly accurate weaponry, so if families, journalists, hospitals, and international aid organizations come under attack it is because they are directly targeted.
Israel’s zionist want us never to forget the holocaust. Do they think people will ever forget their evil effort to exterminate the Palestinians?
Evil has myriad faces but they are also human – and so, of course, are their victims. This broader picture has remained lost on Israel since it’s inception; caring only of historical crimes perpetrated against Jews. The atrocities committed by the Nazis were part of an historical continuum as evidenced by numerous other instances of genocide in the past 80 years. But no lessons were learned. Zionism is an ethno-supremisist belief system that is inextricably poisoned by racism. The State of Israel – as it has been conceptualized – needs to come to a end just as the Nazified Germany needed to be expelled from the world.
Yes so true, Yet Israel can no longer use the Victim Card. The Nazis tried to hide their Crimes, thats why it took so long for the Allies to Free what was left of the People left in the Camps, We don’t hear of Gypsies, Disabled, or Mentally Handicapped, or Gay People using the Victim Card yet they suffered as much as the Jewish prisoners as did political opposition of the Nazi Regime. Israel is Openly committing these atrocities and telling the World ” we suffered so now we kill just for another house”??? My Heart is Breaking. Those who died in the Death Camps are being used as political Pawns by Israel. I hoped Genocide would have ended with the Nazis how wrong I have been! It has never stopped.
Soo heartbreaking to read .Children ,for God’s sake . Israel in it’s lust for ever more land theft that does not belong to them .What kind of people do such things .Even the Christian zionist must be moved by this or have they lost all belief of what Jesus would say on this matter.
The Christian Zionists – which are plentiful in the area I reside in – are under such blind conviction and zealous conditioning that they will believe whatever excuse hasbara central trots out for them.
I no Longer feel that Jesus is in the Building! I’m Catholic and have Friends from many Religion’s and from many Countries! All have different political views but Not one has said they agree with Israel,they blame Netanyahu! And that includes my Many Jewish Friends who Believe that their is One “God” who has many Names! Some have Muslim Friends, Mormon Friends and Catholic, + Sihk Friends. The same as I have. I Believe Justice will be Served (I hope in this Life) I am afraid for those living in Terror on both sides,Palestine and Israel. Netanyahu and his ilk need to be Stopped.
War crimes. Period. Full stop. Israel has looked into the abyss and become the monster it feared.
Indeed. War crime monsters killing sitting ducks . . . soul sickening.
Louis B.
After 73 years the mask is starting to peel. I don’t know which is the more odious their sense of self entitlement or the absolute greed.
This breaks my heart.
The Democratic party continues its support of Israel’s unrelenting aggression against the Palestinians, be they Christians or Muslims with the apparent support of those who vote for them and those who voted for Biden in the recent presidential election.
It seems apparent that the bulk of those who voted for Biden were concerned primarily that he would, after winning the election, address domestic issues. Imperial destruction of entire countries and peoples does not appear to be factored in when deciding where to cast the vote.
People who voted for Biden were suffering from advanced Trump Derangement Syndrome.
Now they are too embarrassed and compromised to admit Buyer’s Regret.
Biden could stop this slaughter—and future slaughters—in a minute, with one telephone call.
May he rot in hell, along with Netanyahu and his ilk and their parents and parents of parents who stole the “Holy Land” from the local people, after being treated very well by the local Arabs for at least three generations, and also, historically.
These colonial settlers are greedy, ungrateful, shameless wretches, and it doesn’t matter where they came from or why they went there.
Actions speak louder than any words and any excuses. Using a pretext to steal, dispossess, burn, demolish, starve, fire-bomb, and even target children and their caregivers for horrific deaths through flames and dismemberment—-that is the real abomination.
THESE ARE WAR CRIMES.
THERE ARE NO EXCUSES.
WHAT IS BIDEN AFRAID OF?