London: The British newspaper, The Guardian, has published official data from the Palestinian health authorities, giving names and details of some 18,500 children who have been killed since the launch of the Israeli war on Gaza in October 2023.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, the daily, with the heading ‘Young lives cut short on an unimaginable scale: the 18,457 children on Gaza’s list of war dead,’ released the accounts on the occasion of the second anniversary of the Israeli war on Gaza on Wednesday. Presenting a picture of the human dimensions of this tragedy, the report states, ‘Far from comprehensive, the list does not include the thousands still buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings, as well as the war’s many indirect victims.’

The report recorded the name, age, place of residence, and date of assassination of each child and their slain family members in the form of an interactive page, noting, ‘They were just starting their lives, they still had dreams.’ It also states that about a third of the victims of the Israeli regime’s attacks on Gaza are children, including ‘more than 973 infants under a year old, many of whom died in the rubble of their homes or in makeshift shelter.’

The newspaper emphasized that the continued bombing, the destruction of medical infrastructure, and the frequent interruption of communications have made it difficult to identify and bury the bodies. According to the report, some families lost all members, including infants, and in many cases, there are no survivors to identify the bodies of their loved ones.

The Guardian also cited a UN report, saying that ‘many of the children who survived attacks have life-changing wounds. More than 40,000 children have been injured in the war, and Gaza is now home to more child amputees than any other place in the world.’ The Guardian clarified that these names are not just statistics; each was a small world that no longer exists, reflecting the dimensions of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

The report was published as many Western governments maintain their silence and continue sending weapons to Israel, despite the regime’s continued killing of civilians, especially children, which has aroused public anger.