Israeli attacks kill 10 young footballers from Gaza academy

The Israeli army on Thursday killed 17-year-old Mohammed Al-Thalatini, a promising footballer from Gaza’s Al-Mohtarefeen Academy. As per reports, nine of Al-Thalatini’s under-18 teammates have also lost their lives in Israeli assault since the war began.

Pro-Palestinian accounts online said the academy where Al-Thalatini and his teammates once trained has been completely destroyed by Israeli bombardment.

Children have been among the hardest hit in Israel’s ongoing military campaign. According to the United Nations, half of the two million people displaced in Gaza are children. UNICEF estimates that nearly 17,000 children have been left without a parent since October 7, 2023.

The war has also taken a severe toll on children’s mental health. UNICEF reports widespread cases of extreme fear, hunger, and sleep deprivation, with the constant sound of bombings leaving many children in states of panic and agitation. At least one million children are now in urgent need of psychological and humanitarian assistance.

Families already struggling with shortages of food, water, and shelter are finding it increasingly difficult to care for orphaned children of relatives killed in the war.

UNICEF has repeatedly warned that Israel’s blockade on aid supplies is worsening the humanitarian crisis, describing its impact on Gaza’s children as “devastating.”

According to UNICEF figures, more than 30,000 children have been injured and nearly 20,000 killed in Gaza since Israel launched its assault last October.