UNICEF says that since a declared ceasefire in October 2025, Israeli forces have killed at least 265 Palestinian children in Gaza—an average of one child a day for over eight months. The agency calls the truce a "cruel and deadly illusion," reports more than 400 injured children (many with catastrophic wounds), warns of critical shortages in medical care and urgent evacuation needs, and urges immediate international action.
UNICEF: An Average Of One Palestinian Child Killed Per Day In Gaza Despite Declared Ceasefire
Israel's genocidal war on Gaza has killed tens of thousands of children, charity groups report, in spite of a ceasefire in place [File: Mahmoud Issa/Reuters]
Geneva — The United Nations children’s agency (UNICEF) says that, on average, one Palestinian child has been killed every day for more than eight months in Gaza, despite a declared ceasefire with Israel. The agency called the truce a "cruel and deadly illusion," saying Israeli operations have continued to strike the besieged territory and have not protected civilians.
UNICEF reported on Friday that Israeli forces have killed at least 265 Palestinian children in Gaza since the ceasefire was announced in October 2025. The agency said more than 400 children have also been wounded in that period, many with catastrophic injuries.
"During a period supposedly defined by restraint and protection, a child has been killed, on average, every single day for more than eight months," UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told reporters in Geneva.
Elder said the deaths underscore the failure of the ceasefire to shield children from violence. He provided harrowing examples of recent cases: a 2-year-old boy shot and killed by Israeli forces; a 13-year-old boy shot inside his tent; and a 5-year-old boy and his father killed by a strike.
UNICEF documented multiple incidents in which children were killed or wounded in homes, schools and public spaces — including while playing football or fishing. The agency also highlighted cases of a 12-year-old girl shot in the chest inside her tent and a three-year-old girl hit in the face by a bullet fired from a quadcopter drone while inside her home.
Elder warned that hundreds of injured children urgently need medical evacuation. He said Israeli restrictions on essential medicines and movement are increasing the risk of infection, complications and amputations among wounded children.
Humanitarian groups say Israel’s blockade and military restrictions have left Gaza’s health system devastated: hospitals face severe shortages of medicines, fuel, staff and equipment after months of bombardment and siege.
"For Gaza's children, fear, loss and violence have become so constant that trauma is no longer an episode in their lives - it is woven into the very fabric of their childhood," Elder said, describing the deep psychological toll on a generation of children.
Elder urged governments and international institutions to act, saying that continued child deaths during a declared ceasefire should alarm those committed to international law: "No ceasefire can be considered meaningful while children continue to be killed."
UNICEF also noted casualties in the wider region, reporting that 247 children have been killed and 992 injured in Lebanon since hostilities escalated on March 2.
Separately, Palestinian health authorities provided broader casualty figures, saying that since October 7, 2023, at least 73,018 Palestinians have been killed and 173,273 wounded. They said that since the ceasefire took effect on October 11, Israeli attacks have killed 1,007 people and wounded 3,165, and that rescue teams have recovered 784 bodies from previously inaccessible areas. These figures are reported by local health authorities and reflect their tally.
Context and sources: All figures and quoted statements in this report are attributed to UNICEF and local Palestinian health authorities as cited by the agency and Palestinian news outlets.
Help us improve.
