Most of the dead were children and women

TEHRAN, SUNDAY — Like other wars, the exchange of fire between Israel and Iran has made women and children victims. The number is feared to continue to rise as there are no signs that the war will cease.

As of Sunday (15/6/2025), 80 people have died and 800 others have been injured due to the Israeli attack on Iran. Of the 80 victims, 60 were killed in the attack on Friday early morning.

Iran reported that 26 children were killed in one location in Tehran. Their homes were destroyed due to an Israeli attack while they were sound asleep.

Israel has threatened to launch further attacks after several Iranian missiles bypassed Israel's air defense system. The missiles destroyed various buildings in Tel Aviv.

The Israeli military, Tzahal, has ordered residents to evacuate. The order is primarily directed at those living near factories and weapons depots, as well as Tzahal headquarters.

Since Friday afternoon, Iran has continued to target various defense facilities in Israel. The majority of these facilities are located in residential areas and business centers. The headquarters of Tzahal is situated in the Hakriya area, one of the business districts in Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel's attacks so far are nothing compared to what will happen in the coming days. Iran has also boasted that it will retaliate again after Israel attacked two Iranian oil refineries.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasized that Iran's attacks on Israel will only cease if Israel also stops attacking Iran. "We are in a position of self-defense, and this is legitimate. This defense is our response to aggression. If the aggression stops, of course, our response will also stop," said Araghchi.

Israel has a multi-layered air defense system. This system can track and intercept missiles at distances of up to 2,000 kilometers. However, Israeli officials acknowledge that the system is not perfect. It has been proven that some Iranian missiles still manage to evade it and strike populated areas.

At least 10 people were killed in the Iranian attack over the weekend. So far, 13 Israeli citizens have died. The fatalities include three children and teenagers.

Wahid Yassin, a resident of Tel Aviv, recounted that the missile explosion that struck his apartment was extremely powerful. The blast nearly tore apart the door of his bomb shelter.

When he went outside, he saw his neighbor's daughter alone and was very shocked. "Her two sisters and mother were killed in the explosion. And, she suddenly appeared on the roof, alone, and trembling," he said.

Hundreds of people are reported missing. Drones have been deployed to search for victims.

In Iran, the impact of the attacks is more severe due to the almost complete lack of shelters, unlike in Israel. The attack on Friday targeted a 14-story apartment building in the Shahid Chamran District of Tehran. As a result, 60 people were killed, including 14 children.

World leaders are urging Israel and Iran to de-escalate tensions. The situation is already concerning, especially if facilities related to the nuclear development program are attacked.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss this issue and warned of the global consequences of the Israel-Iran conflict. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will also deploy fighter jets and other assets to the Middle East to provide emergency assistance while urging both parties to cease hostilities.

In any conflict, children and women are always the most numerous victims. At least that is the result of an analysis by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from the Gaza war. In Gaza, during the first six-month period, nearly 70 percent of the verified casualties were children and women.

Approximately 44 percent of the victims are children and 26 percent are women. BBC News, November 8, 2024, reported that Israel claims to be targeting only Hamas and has made efforts to reduce risks to civilians by using precise ammunition.

However, the fact is that 8,110 people have been verified as dead in Gaza from November 2023 to April 2024. The majority were aged 5-9 years. Approximately 80 percent of the fatalities occurred in residential areas or housing.

This data indicates a disregard for the deaths of civilians and the impacts of means and methods of combat. The Gaza Ministry of Health reported that the death toll has reached at least 43,300 people over the past 13 months, with approximately one-third being children.

A similar result was also found from a joint analysis by Oxfam and Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) on February 10, 2024. More than 6,000 women and 11,000 children have died as a result of Israeli attacks in Gaza.

This figure surpasses the previous record in Iraq in 2016, where 2,600 women were killed. Meanwhile, in Syria, approximately 4,700 children were killed each year during the early years of the war.

According to a study published in The Lancet, unidentified victims buried under the rubble, along with those who died from starvation or the collapse of healthcare services, could push the death toll above 186,000 people.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis continues to escalate. More than 25,000 children have lost their parents or become orphans. Many of these children have become traumatized.

Women, who are disproportionately affected, are now leading households amidst the devastation. Meanwhile, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are struggling to survive in the midst of a failing healthcare system. "The trauma experienced by children is beyond description. Many have lost limbs or are experiencing deep emotional distress," said Umaiyeh Khammash, Director of Juzoor, a partner of Oxfam.

The UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Türk, stated that the level of civilian killings and injuries is unprecedented. This is a direct consequence of the failure to adhere to the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.

He cited the law of distinction, which requires conflicting parties to differentiate between combatants and civilians. There must also be an assessment of proportionality, which prohibits attacks where the civilian losses are greater than the military advantage, and precautionary measures in attacks.

The report stated that the manner in which the conflicting parties are conducting the conflict in Gaza has resulted in horrific human suffering. Israel is destroying civilian infrastructure. Israel is allowing many civilians to live in destitution and hunger. "It is clear that children and women are always the ones who have to pay dearly for this senseless war," said Türk.

In the latest report from UNICEF titled "Prospects for Children 2025: Building Resilient Systems for Children's Future," it is stated that the number of children living in conflict areas is expected to double by 2025. More than 473 million children—over one in six children worldwide—now reside in regions affected by conflict, including Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine.

The percentage of children in the world living in conflict areas has doubled, from around 10 percent in the 1990s to nearly 19 percent today. Amid increasing geopolitical competition and the paralysis of multilateral institutions, both state and non-state actors seem to increasingly disregard international law designed to protect civilians. This is evidenced by the numerous attacks on civilian infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals.

"The failure of decades-long efforts to protect civilians has a significant impact on children. In addition to the risks to their lives, children also face displacement and threats of hunger and disease. There is also a substantial risk to their psychological well-being. The multilateral system has struggled to respond effectively. Joint and sustained efforts are needed to reverse the losses incurred in recent years," stated the UNICEF report.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stated that, in the history of UNICEF, the year 2024 has become one of the worst years for children, both in terms of the number of children affected and the level of impact on their lives.

According to Russell, a child growing up in a conflict zone is far more likely to drop out of school, suffer from malnutrition, or be forced to leave their home compared to a child living in non-conflict areas. "This must not become the new normal. We cannot allow a generation of children to become victims of uncontrolled wars in the world," he stated. (AP/AFP)