While some children were reportedly shot fleeing battle zones, the BBC found many others were shot playing outside their tents in humanitarian “safe zones” and areas the Israeli army had marked as corridors to evacuate [GETTY]
A BBC investigation into Israeli forces’ attacks on Palestinian children has revealed shocking details on the targeting of minors in Gaza.
Of the 168 cases the BBC compiled of Palestinian children shot in Gaza, 95 were shot either in the head or chest.
Out of the 95 cases, over two-thirds were under the age of 12.
The cases were identified using eyewitness testimonies from Palestinians on the ground or from human rights organisations and medics. Hundreds of photos, videos, medical scans, notes and journal entries were also examined.
The witnesses say that 57 were shot by the Israeli army. As for the remaining 36, the publication found no account of what happened.
The report details the death of two-year-old Layan, who was shot and killed with her father; and six-year-old Mira, also shot by an Israeli sniper in the back of her chest, where the Israeli army established a “safe corridor”#
While some children were reportedly shot fleeing battle zones, the BBC found many others were shot playing outside their tents in humanitarian “safe zones” and areas the Israeli army had marked as corridors to evacuate.
The cases span from October 2023 to July 2025.
After presenting the findings to the Israeli army, it said that “unintended or erroneous harm may occur in the course of combat”.
In response to Mira’s case, the army said: “An allegation of harm, in and of itself, does not necessarily indicate a violation of the law”.
Since October 2023, at least 50,000 children have been killed or injured by Israeli forces in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The Israeli army has been accused of deliberately shooting unarmed Palestinian children, with the UN’s agency for Palestinian children saying the army is killing the equivalent of “a classroom of children” every day.
Israeli soldiers have also admitted to using children as human shields in Gaza to find explosives.
