The Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Catherine Russell, said on Tuesday that Israel killed more children in a single day than on any other day in a year.

Russell said in a statement that the information and images coming from Gaza show how dire the situation is.

"The reports and images coming from the Gaza Strip following Tuesday's attacks are horrific. Hundreds were killed, including more than 130 children, representing the highest number of child deaths in a single day in the past year," she added.

Russell noted that “some airstrikes reportedly hit makeshift shelters where children and families were sleeping, another deadly reminder that nowhere in Gaza is safe,” and that “the latest attacks come as life-saving aid remains blocked from entering Gaza, further increasing the risks to children. It has been 16 days since the last truckload of humanitarian aid entered Gaza. In addition, electricity to the main desalination plant has been cut off, significantly reducing the supply of drinking water.”

The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that "404 martyrs and more than 562 wounded, including very serious cases," had arrived at hospitals as of 10:00 a.m. GMT, as a result of the indiscriminate Israeli bombardment. Work is still underway to retrieve victims from under the rubble.

Today, one million children in Gaza—who have endured more than 15 months of war—have returned to a world of fear and death. The attacks and violence must stop—now. We urge all parties to immediately reimpose the ceasefire, and call on influential states to use their influence to ensure the situation does not deteriorate further. All parties must respect international humanitarian law, allowing for the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid, protecting civilians, and releasing all hostages.

For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that negotiations regarding Israeli prisoners held in the Gaza Strip would henceforth be conducted "under fire," and he vowed to escalate military operations as part of Israel's war of extermination against the Gaza Strip.

This came in a video statement by Netanyahu following the resumption of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, in which he claimed that "Hamas has rejected all the proposals presented to it repeatedly," while alleging that Israel had agreed to the proposal of US envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.