More than 340 Palestinian children have been killed across the Gaza Strip since a ceasefire agreement was announced slightly over one year ago, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported on Friday.
Speaking to journalists in Geneva, UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires stressed that ongoing casualties run counter to the premise of a true truce.
"Those terrible statistics do not equate with a ceasefire as most would imagine one,"Pires said.
Casualties Reported Since October 2025
According to UNICEF, five boys and two girls were reported killed across the Gaza Strip during the past two weeks alone. Over that same two-week period, at least 33 children suffered serious injuries in Israeli air strikes, drone strikes, and gunfire, while two other boys died as a result of previous injuries.
These figures align with broader casualty tallies provided by the Ministry of Health in Gaza. The ministry stated that Israeli forces have killed 1,501 Palestinians since the October 2025 ceasefire came into effect. The latest fatalities recorded by the health ministry include three people on Wednesday, two of whom died of injuries sustained during earlier attacks.
The health ministry further documented 17 people wounded within a recent 24-hour period, bringing the overall number of injured Palestinians to 5,323 since October 2025. In addition, rescue workers and emergency teams have retrieved nearly 840 bodies from beneath the rubble and debris of destroyed sites across the Palestinian territory during that timeframe.
Severe Displacement and Psychological Strain
In addition to the casualties caused by direct attacks, UNICEF warned that roughly 800,000 Palestinian children remain displaced throughout the enclave. Most of these displaced children are currently living in temporary tents or damaged structures.
The UN agency estimated that approximately 60,000 children have lost one or both parents since the conflict began. Furthermore, almost all children in Gaza are now in need of some form of mental health and psychosocial support. Pires warned that displaced youths and their families are now preparing to face a fourth winter under catastrophic living conditions.
Sanitation Collapse Ahead of Winter Rains
The agency also issued urgent warnings regarding the widespread breakdown of municipal sanitation and water infrastructure. All six wastewater treatment facilities across the Gaza Strip are out of service, leaving authorities with little choice but to pump most untreated sewage into the Mediterranean Sea.
Pires highlighted that the Sheikh Radwan stormwater basin in Gaza City is currently half full and threatens to overflow into nearby residential communities as soon as the winter rains arrive. While the basin could be emptied within two weeks, Israeli authorities have not permitted the necessary drainage equipment to enter the territory, UNICEF stated.
Pires urged Israeli authorities to permit the passage of essential materials, spare parts, generators, and fuel required to repair critical services, while emphasizing the urgent need to abide by the truce.
"Gaza’s children have suffered far too much, for far too long,"he stated.
