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Gallery|Humanitarian Crises

In Pictures: Palestinians mourn Gaza children

The three Palestinian children were killed in an Israeli strike, hours before it launched a ground offensive in Gaza.

Palestinian mourners carry the bodies of the three children from the Shuhaibar family, killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City on Thursday.
By Anne Paq
Published On 18 Jul 2014

Gaza City – Palestinian mourners have gathered for the funeral of three Palestinian children who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Thursday.

Eight-year-old Jihad Issam Shuhaibar, his brother Wasim Issam Shuhaibar, seven, and their cousin, Afnan Tariq Shuhaibar, aged 10, were killed after a five-hour humanitarian truce between Israel and Hamas expired. Israel launched a ground invasion of Gaza later on Thursday.

A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation aimed to destroy tunnels linking Gaza to Israel. The prime minister’s office also said that the Israeli military was “prepared for an expansion of the ground action”.

More than 230 Palestinians, including 39 children, have been killed in Israel’s 10-day military operation in Gaza, and another 1,700 Palestinians have been injured. One Israeli has died.

The United Nations has reported that about 25,000 Palestinian children in Gaza are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and are in need of psychological help as a result of the ongoing Israeli military offensive.

The three children killed were two brothers - eight-year-old Jihad Issam Shuhaibar and seven-year-old Wasim Issam Shuhaibar - and their cousin, Afnan Tariq Shuhaibar, age 10.
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The younger brother of Afnan Tariq Shuhaibar holds his mother(***)s hand, whose dress is stained with her daughter(***)s blood, during the funeral.
The airstrikes came immediately after a temporary five-hour humanitarian ceasefire between Hamas and Israel ended.
More than 230 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, and more than 1,700 have been injured.
Palestinian women react during the funeral of the three children.
At least 39 Palestinian children have been killed since the start of the operation in Gaza.
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