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, but violence has persisted.
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 promised by the ceasefire.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), citing Gazan health authorities, reported a total of 1,209 people killed and 3,943 injured since the ceasefire announcement. Ongoing military operations near the so-called ‘Yellow Line’—a separation barrier erected by Israeli soldiers—along with strikes in other parts of the Gaza Strip, continue to disrupt civilian life, damage shelters, cause displacement, and restrict access to life-saving services.
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) reported that attacks on a medical storage facility next to Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah last weekend destroyed essential medical supplies, including some delivered by the agency.
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, sheltering among destroyed buildings, rubble, and uncleared waste.
Humanitarian efforts include improvements to 3,000 makeshift shelters in Gaza City and distribution of emergency shelter and essential items to 9,000 households, such as kitchen sets, tarpaulins, blankets, mattresses, solar lights, and clothes. Additionally, more than 250,000 pre-school and school-aged children are participating in summer learning activities designed to provide routine, stability, and help recover educational losses caused by the hostilities.
Sources:
- UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
- UN World Health Organization (WHO)
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