At least 300 children in Gaza have been reportedly killed in the 300 days since a ceasefire agreement came into effect on 10 October 2025, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The ceasefire was intended to suspend military operations between Hamas fighters and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Edouard Beigbeder, stated, “A ceasefire that leaves an average of one child dead each and every day is failing children.” He added that hundreds more children have been injured, many severely, and are still awaiting an end to the violence they were promised.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), citing Gazan health authorities, reported that since the ceasefire announcement, 1,209 people have been killed and 3,943 injured in total.

Amid reports of a new United States-led peace plan and a recent increase in Israeli airstrikes targeting alleged Hamas positions, UNICEF highlighted that families are now confined to roughly one third of the Gaza Strip. Many are sheltering amid destroyed buildings, rubble, and uncleared waste.

The agency also noted ongoing military operations near the so-called 'Yellow Line'—a separation barrier of concrete blocks erected by Israeli soldiers—along with strikes in other parts of Gaza. These actions are disrupting civilian life, damaging shelters, causing renewed displacement, and restricting access to life-saving services.

Following attacks on a medical storage facility adjacent to Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah last weekend, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) reported that essential medical supplies, including some delivered by WHO, were destroyed.

Humanitarian efforts continue, with work to improve 3,000 makeshift shelters in Gaza City and the distribution of emergency shelter and essential items to 9,000 households. More than 250,000 pre-school and school-aged children are participating in summer learning activities aimed at providing routine and helping recover educational losses caused by the hostilities.

Sources