Over 340 Children Killed in Gaza Despite Ceasefire Accord, Unicef Warns

GENEVA: More than 340 children have been killed and hundreds more grievously wounded in the Gaza Strip since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was announced, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) warned on Friday. The agency stressed that grave risks continue to jeopardize the lives of vulnerable minors across the devastated Palestinian enclave, proving that the cessation of hostilities remains critically fragile on the ground.

Addressing reporters at a briefing in Geneva, Unicef spokesperson Ricardo Pires emphasized that the grim casualty toll defies the true spirit of a peace agreement. “For families mourning the loss of their children, those terrible statistics do not equate with a ceasefire,” Pires said. He noted that over the preceding fortnight alone, five boys and two girls were reported killed, while at least 33 children suffered serious injuries from air strikes, drone attacks, and gunfire, alongside two other boys who succumbed to earlier sustained wounds.

The protracted conflict has created an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, leaving approximately 800,000 children displaced and sheltering in makeshift tents or structural ruins amid harsh conditions and acute shortages. Unicef estimates that nearly 60,000 children have lost one or both parents during the war and subsequent ceasefire period, leaving vast numbers without primary caregivers. Crucially, humanitarian specialists warn that virtually every surviving child in Gaza requires immediate psychosocial support to address severe trauma inflicted by sustained bombardment.

Reiterating calls for strict adherence to international humanitarian law, the UN children’s agency urged all belligerent parties and the international community to guarantee an authentic, lasting halt to violence. Global relief organizations continue to demand unimpeded humanitarian access to facilitate the delivery of vital medical supplies, nutritional aid, and child protection services across all sectors of the Gaza Strip.