SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Children in Gaza hold a press conference outside the Al-Shifa Hospital on Tuesday, Nov. 7 in Gaza City.
(Image: Screengrab)
'We Invite You to Protect Us': Gaza Children Make Plea to the World in Press Conference
"The occupation is starving us," said one child during a press conference outside the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. "We want medicine, food, and education. We want to live as the other children live."
Nov 08, 2023
A group of approximately 20 children in the besieged Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening held a press conference outside the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to implore the world to intervene to stop Israel's relentless bombing campaign that has killed more than 4,100 kids under the age of 18 over the last month.
"Since 7 October, we've faced extermination, killing, bombing over our heads – all of this in front of the world," said one child in front of the microphone, first in Arabic then in English. "They lied to the world that they kill the fighters, but they kill the people of Gaza, their dreams and their future. Kids of Gaza run out of their hopes and wants."
As he spoke, other young children—some in a hospital bed that had been rolled out and others visibly bandaged—stood shoulder to shoulder.
"We came to Al-Shifa to seek shelter from the bombing, but we suddenly faced death again when they targeted the hospital," the boy continued. "The occupation is starving us. We don't find water, food, and we drink from the unusable water. We come now to shout and invite you to protect us."
"We want to live, we want peace, we want to judge the killers of children," he added. "We want medicine, food, and education. We want to live as the other children live."
Watch:
According to The Palestine Chronicle:
The kids are either displaced refugees who had fled to the hospital as a result of Israeli bombing, or had accompanied other family members who arrived dead or wounded at Al-Shifa.
The video of the press conference was made available through the Resistance News Network on Telegram.
Despite global protests and similar demands for a cease-fire from both inside and outside of Gaza, major world leaders—including lawmakers in the United States, United Kingdom, and other European powers—have refused to demand that Israel end its bombardment and ground operations.
The World Health Organization (WHO) have said that an average of 160 children have been killed every day since the latest bombing campaign in Gaza started one month ago.
"Nothing justifies the horror being endured by the civilians in Gaza," said WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier during remarks given in Geneva on Tuesday.
Lindmeier said there have now been over 100 documented Israeli attacks against health infrastructure since the bombing began and that 14 hospitals in the besieged territory have stopped operating completely due to fuel shortages, total lack of supplies, or severe damage.
On Wednesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said the overall death toll is at least 10,569 people, including 4,324 children.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A group of approximately 20 children in the besieged Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening held a press conference outside the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to implore the world to intervene to stop Israel's relentless bombing campaign that has killed more than 4,100 kids under the age of 18 over the last month.
"Since 7 October, we've faced extermination, killing, bombing over our heads – all of this in front of the world," said one child in front of the microphone, first in Arabic then in English. "They lied to the world that they kill the fighters, but they kill the people of Gaza, their dreams and their future. Kids of Gaza run out of their hopes and wants."
As he spoke, other young children—some in a hospital bed that had been rolled out and others visibly bandaged—stood shoulder to shoulder.
"We came to Al-Shifa to seek shelter from the bombing, but we suddenly faced death again when they targeted the hospital," the boy continued. "The occupation is starving us. We don't find water, food, and we drink from the unusable water. We come now to shout and invite you to protect us."
"We want to live, we want peace, we want to judge the killers of children," he added. "We want medicine, food, and education. We want to live as the other children live."
Watch:
According to The Palestine Chronicle:
The kids are either displaced refugees who had fled to the hospital as a result of Israeli bombing, or had accompanied other family members who arrived dead or wounded at Al-Shifa.
The video of the press conference was made available through the Resistance News Network on Telegram.
Despite global protests and similar demands for a cease-fire from both inside and outside of Gaza, major world leaders—including lawmakers in the United States, United Kingdom, and other European powers—have refused to demand that Israel end its bombardment and ground operations.
The World Health Organization (WHO) have said that an average of 160 children have been killed every day since the latest bombing campaign in Gaza started one month ago.
"Nothing justifies the horror being endured by the civilians in Gaza," said WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier during remarks given in Geneva on Tuesday.
Lindmeier said there have now been over 100 documented Israeli attacks against health infrastructure since the bombing began and that 14 hospitals in the besieged territory have stopped operating completely due to fuel shortages, total lack of supplies, or severe damage.
On Wednesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said the overall death toll is at least 10,569 people, including 4,324 children.
From Your Site Articles
- Slaughter in Gaza Continues on World Children's Day ›
- Missing 6-Year-Old Gaza Girl Hind Rajab Found Dead With Massacred Family, Rescue Workers ›
- Opinion | The World Must Calculate the Real Gaza Death Toll | Common Dreams ›
- Israeli Genocide Causing 'Complete Psychological Destruction' of Gaza Children ›
- Gaza Child Amputees Struggle to Recover Amid Israeli Destruction of Health System | Common Dreams ›
- 'I Am Not a Terrorist': Letters From Gaza Children Decry Daily Horrors of Israeli Assault | Common Dreams ›
- 'An Extremely Dark Place in History': UN Panel Says Israel Violated Child Rights Treaty | Common Dreams ›
- 'Child After Child': Israel Has Killed 270+ Gaza Children Since Ditching Cease-Fire Last Week, Says NGO | Common Dreams ›
- Opinion | The US Is Slamming the Door on Children From Gaza; I Saw Their Faces | Common Dreams ›
- Opinion | What the Children of Gaza Might Say to the Children of America | Common Dreams ›
A group of approximately 20 children in the besieged Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening held a press conference outside the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to implore the world to intervene to stop Israel's relentless bombing campaign that has killed more than 4,100 kids under the age of 18 over the last month.
"Since 7 October, we've faced extermination, killing, bombing over our heads – all of this in front of the world," said one child in front of the microphone, first in Arabic then in English. "They lied to the world that they kill the fighters, but they kill the people of Gaza, their dreams and their future. Kids of Gaza run out of their hopes and wants."
As he spoke, other young children—some in a hospital bed that had been rolled out and others visibly bandaged—stood shoulder to shoulder.
"We came to Al-Shifa to seek shelter from the bombing, but we suddenly faced death again when they targeted the hospital," the boy continued. "The occupation is starving us. We don't find water, food, and we drink from the unusable water. We come now to shout and invite you to protect us."
"We want to live, we want peace, we want to judge the killers of children," he added. "We want medicine, food, and education. We want to live as the other children live."
Watch:
According to The Palestine Chronicle:
The kids are either displaced refugees who had fled to the hospital as a result of Israeli bombing, or had accompanied other family members who arrived dead or wounded at Al-Shifa.
The video of the press conference was made available through the Resistance News Network on Telegram.
Despite global protests and similar demands for a cease-fire from both inside and outside of Gaza, major world leaders—including lawmakers in the United States, United Kingdom, and other European powers—have refused to demand that Israel end its bombardment and ground operations.
The World Health Organization (WHO) have said that an average of 160 children have been killed every day since the latest bombing campaign in Gaza started one month ago.
"Nothing justifies the horror being endured by the civilians in Gaza," said WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier during remarks given in Geneva on Tuesday.
Lindmeier said there have now been over 100 documented Israeli attacks against health infrastructure since the bombing began and that 14 hospitals in the besieged territory have stopped operating completely due to fuel shortages, total lack of supplies, or severe damage.
On Wednesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said the overall death toll is at least 10,569 people, including 4,324 children.
From Your Site Articles
- Slaughter in Gaza Continues on World Children's Day ›
- Missing 6-Year-Old Gaza Girl Hind Rajab Found Dead With Massacred Family, Rescue Workers ›
- Opinion | The World Must Calculate the Real Gaza Death Toll | Common Dreams ›
- Israeli Genocide Causing 'Complete Psychological Destruction' of Gaza Children ›
- Gaza Child Amputees Struggle to Recover Amid Israeli Destruction of Health System | Common Dreams ›
- 'I Am Not a Terrorist': Letters From Gaza Children Decry Daily Horrors of Israeli Assault | Common Dreams ›
- 'An Extremely Dark Place in History': UN Panel Says Israel Violated Child Rights Treaty | Common Dreams ›
- 'Child After Child': Israel Has Killed 270+ Gaza Children Since Ditching Cease-Fire Last Week, Says NGO | Common Dreams ›
- Opinion | The US Is Slamming the Door on Children From Gaza; I Saw Their Faces | Common Dreams ›
- Opinion | What the Children of Gaza Might Say to the Children of America | Common Dreams ›
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.