Save the Children Says Schools and Hospitals Must Be Protected as at Least 500 People Killed in Gaza

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (Oct. 17, 2023)— A school and a hospital in Gaza have been hit today, reportedly killing several hundred civilians. Save the Children calls for an immediate ceasefire to protect children’s lives.

A hospital in the center of Gaza City was struck this evening, with initial estimates indicating that at least 500 people have been killed and numbers expected to increase. Many of the wounded are reported to be women and children sheltering from the air raids.

At least six people were also killed this afternoon when a UNRWA school was hit in al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza.

Save the Children’s Country Director for the occupied Palestinian territory, Jason Lee, said:

“Civilian infrastructure like hospitals and schools must be protected at all times. This war is eroding humanity and is spiraling out of control.

“Save the Children calls for the respect of international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.

“A ceasefire must be agreed to save children’s lives. Without an end to fighting—without a ceasefire—hundreds of thousands of children’s lives hang in the balance.”

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Notes to Editors

• According to UN OCHA, 164 educational facilities have been hit by airstrikes, including at least 20 UNRWA schools, two of which were used as emergency shelters for displaced people, and 140 Palestinian Authority (PA) schools, one of which was destroyed. One university building was also severely damaged. There have been 49 attacks on health care in the Gaza Strip since October 7, resulting in damage to 25 hospitals and other healthcare facilities, including seven hospitals. Three of the latter in northern Gaza (Beit Hanoun, Hamad Rehabilitation, and Ad Dura) had to be evacuated. Severe damage to Al Karama Hospital in Gaza led to it being out of service as a result of the Israeli occupation forces targeting neighboring buildings and their falling towards it.
• Save the Children has been providing essential services and support to Palestinian children impacted by the ongoing conflict since 1953. Save the Children’s team in the occupied Palestinian territory has been working around the clock, prepositioning vital supplies to support people in need, and working to find ways to get assistance into Gaza.  

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