The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has confirmed that three Palestinian children supported by the organisation’s education and psychosocial support programme were among those killed in Al-Falluja cemetery, west of Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday.

Jan Egeland, NRC's Secretary General said: “I am deeply heartbroken by the news that three children who received trauma support and joined our education activities were among those killed during the escalation in Gaza over the weekend. I send my condolences to their families and friends.”

“Our teams in Gaza had worked with the three boys to help them overcome the traumatic events they experienced during last year’s May escalation”, he said. “These children were needlessly killed in a conflict they had nothing to do with. They should have been allowed to dream of a better, safer future.”

NRC called for a full investigation to hold the perpetrators to account. “Once again, it is the children of Gaza who have to pay with their lives, this suffering cannot be allowed to go on.”

“As long as Israel continues its siege and occupation of Gaza, there can be no long-term solution to this tragedy and vicious cycle of violence”, added NRC's Secretary General.

Hamed, 16; Mohammad, 16; and Nathmi, 15, were all in the tenth grade. They took part in NRC’s Better Learning Programme (BLP) to recover from traumatic experiences in the Israeli-Blockaded Gaza Strip.

The three children were killed as Israel air force bombarded the Gaza Strip between Friday and Sunday, killing 48 people, including 17 children and four women, and injuring more than 360 others, more than half of them children.