BEIRUT, November 20. /TASS/. At least 5,500 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip since October 7, the radical Palestinian movement Hamas said in a statement published on its Telegram channel.

According to it, over 1,800 minors are still missing after Israeli shelling. The statement also pointed out that 80% of the 30,000 people affected by the fighting in Gaza are women and children.

The movement called on the UN to protect the children of Gaza and to take "serious measures" to stop their "massacres." Hamas also demanded that Israel be placed on a "list of shame" of countries that violate children's rights. The movement noted that Israel will not succeed in intimidating the Palestinians and "breaking their will to resist."

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel has announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also underway in the West Bank.