By Sardar Khan Niazi

On September 4, 2025, Israeli bombardments across Gaza mercilessly claimed the lives of 28 individuals, primarily women and children, among them a 10‑day‑old baby–a stark reminder that the war’s most innocent continue to bear its heaviest burden. Elsewhere, over 80 people were killed in just 24 hours in northern Gaza, as Israeli strikes devastated schools, shelters, and clinics–places where the vulnerable sought safety became sites of horror. In southern Gaza’s supposedly safe zone, five children perished while fetching water, their deaths not mere statistical blips but symbolic of the failure of evacuation assurances and the collapse of humanitarian norms. These harrowing scenes aren’t isolated. Earlier in 2025, at least 36 lives–18 of them children–were lost when Israeli forces bombed the Fahmi al‑Jarjawi School in Gaza City, a structure being used as a refuge and with no evacuation orders issued beforehand.  The imagery from that attack, especially of a little girl caught in the flames, remains etched in memory, a haunting testament to the human cost of military ambition. Humanitarian agencies warn of a catastrophe unfolding before our eyes. As of early September, over 64,000 Palestinians have been killed in the nearly two‑year war–women, men, and children who, by all international standards, are civilians deserving protection. The staggering scale of child suffering is both a moral indictment and a call to conscience. We must speak for those whose voices are muffled by rubble and silence. Every life lost in Gaza is a tragedy more profound than numbers can convey–but the repeated targeting of children is an affront to humanity. We need urgent, unconditional ceasefire efforts. It is unrealistic to continue on the current trajectory, where military operations drown out the plea for peace. These children dying for water, for food, for shelter–these are not collateral–they are catastrophes in slow motion. International actors must step up. The United Nations, who deem Gaza overwhelmingly unsafe for children, and organizations like UNICEF, must have unimpeded access to deliver aid, treatment, and comfort–and, crucially, documentation of violations to prevent further tragedy. Israel’s military strategy, aimed at dismantling Hamas, cannot moralize the suffering of thousands of innocents into strategic gain. The targeting of schools, clinics, and even areas labeled safe zones undermines the very foundations of international humanitarian law–and global credibility. As we bear witness to crises near and far, we must demand a humanitarian ceasefire, not to reward combatants, but to spare civilians–especially children–from further terror. A meaningful push for diplomatic resolution, one that respects Palestinian rights without sacrificing the lives of innocents. History will remember how the world responded to Gaza’s littlest victims–did we shield them, or did we let them fall? Silence now is complicity. Words alone will not stop the next child from becoming a casualty–but they are the start of justice. Pakistan, as a vocal advocate for Palestinian rights, has consistently condemned Israel’s actions–especially those harming children. In October 2024, Islamabad labeled the attacks on civilian infrastructure–including schools, hospitals, and refugee camps–as indiscriminate and horrifying, urging the UN Security Council to enforce a lasting ceasefire. When war’s fury silences the laughter of children, humanity falters. In Gaza, Israeli strikes have claimed countless little lives–five fetching water in supposed safe zones, families obliterated in their sleep, and children scorched in school shelters. This defies morality and international law. Pakistan and the world must demand an immediate ceasefire, accountability, and protection of the most vulnerable: the children caught in this cruel crossfire. The suffering of the children of Gaza is unbearable. Let us be the voice for the voiceless. Let us insist, they are children, not targets.