Violence and civilian casualties are increasing across the Middle East, including Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and ongoing hostilities in Lebanon and the West Bank, according to UN agencies on Friday, July 31, 2026. UN Secretary-General António Guterres declared, “the fighting must stop.”

In southern Lebanon, Israeli hostilities and demolitions have resulted in at least 4,329 deaths and 12,233 injuries since March 2, with 349 fatalities and 229 injuries reported since the latest ceasefire announcement, the UN relief agency OCHA stated.

In Gaza, between the October 2025 ceasefire and July 22, 2026, Israeli actions have killed 1,180 Palestinians and injured 3,810 others. Recent weeks have seen continued airstrikes, gunfire, restricted aid entry, and further advances beyond the so-called “yellow line” marking Israeli control, the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, reported.

The occupied West Bank has also suffered, with Israeli attacks killing 1,122 Palestinians, including at least 246 children, from the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023 through July 24, 2026. Seventy-six Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of 2026, according to OCHA.

The conflict’s impact extends beyond these areas. Over the past five months, more than 4,000 children have reportedly been killed or injured across six countries, including 2,500 in Iran amid ongoing US bombing campaigns. UNICEF reported 386 children killed and 2,117 injured in Iran during this period.

UNICEF’s acting director for the Middle East and North Africa, Abdul Fofana, highlighted the dangers faced by children in conflict zones, stating that children continue to be killed and maimed in their homes, schools, and communities. He cited a recent incident on Qeshm Island, off Iran’s southern coast, where a two-year-old child and the child’s parents were reportedly killed after a strike hit a residential building.

UN chief António Guterres also noted that Hamas and US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace have reached an agreement on disarmament and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza as part of plans following the October 2025 ceasefire.

Guterres warned that what began as a regional conflict is increasingly driving global instability, disrupting trade through the Strait of Hormuz, raising food and energy prices, straining supply chains, and increasing the risk of hunger and poverty worldwide.

Sources