Israel-Hamas War Marks 1 Month: UN Calls Gaza A 'Children's Graveyard', Netanyahu Okays Fighting Pauses

UN chief Antonio Guterres said Gaza is becoming "graveyard for children" as the death toll in the coastal strip from Israeli strikes crossed 10,000.

Over 10,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza after the war between Israel and Hamas started one month ago. ( Image Source :Getty Images )

The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday decried the bombings in Gaza as "graveyard for children" as the Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 10,000 Palestinians in the coastal strip, one month after the the war erupted between Israel and Hamas amid calls for a ceasefire globally. 

"Ground operations by the Israel Defense Forces and continued bombardment are hitting civilians, hospitals, refugee camps, mosques, churches and U.N. facilities – including shelters. No one is safe," Guterres said, as per a Reuters report. 

"At the same time, Hamas and other militants use civilians as human shields and continue to launch rockets indiscriminately towards Israel," he said, urging for an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

"Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children. Hundreds of girls and boys are reportedly being killed or injured every day," Guterres said.

The Palestinian health ministry on Monday said that around 10,022 people have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli offensive that started on October 7 following a surprise attack by Hamas on Israel. The death toll includes 4,104 children and 2,641 women, the ministry said according to Turkish news agency Anadolu. 

At least 152 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank while more than 1,400 Israelis have lost their lives during the same period. 

Amid pressure from international calls for a ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country would consider "tactical little pauses" in Gaza fighting to facilitate the entry of aid or the exit of hostages, but once again rejected calls for a general ceasefire. 

"As far as tactical little pauses - an hour here, an hour there - we've had them before. I suppose we'll check the circumstances in order to enable goods, humanitarian goods to come in, or our hostages, individual hostages, to leave," Netanyahu told ABC News on Monday.

"But I don't think there's going to be a general ceasefire," he added. 

Mounting calls for a truce have been rebuffed by both Israel and Hamas as Tel Aviv demands release of hostages first while the Palestinian militant group says it would neither free them nor stop the fight while Gaza is under assault.