MSF report reveals tenfold rise in child mortality in Gaza

Shafaq News – Gaza

A mortality survey by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF–Doctors Without Borders) has documented a sharp increase in child deaths in Gaza, as the Israeli war enters its 642nd day.

Tracking 2,523 MSF staff and their families between October 2023 and March 2025, the study found that 2% had been killed and 7% injured during the conflict. Among those killed by blast injuries, nearly half were children—and 40% of them were under ten.

The report also documented a tenfold increase in mortality among children under five, and a sixfold rise in infant deaths during the first month of life.

“This disregard for children’s lives clearly indicates that this war run by Israel in Gaza is against all Palestinians,” said Amande Bazerolle, MSF’s deputy emergency manager. “The children of Gaza are being decimated. Israel’s allies must put all their efforts to end the genocide taking place before our very eyes.”

The report’s release coincides with ongoing Israeli airstrikes across the enclave. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, 105 Palestinians were killed and 530 wounded in the past 24 hours, with the total toll since October 7, 2023, now standing at 57,680 killed, most of them women and children, and 137,409 injured.