At least 300 children have been killed in Gaza in roughly 300 days since a so-called ceasefire was announced on October 10, 2025, UNICEF said Thursday. The figure represents an average of one child killed each day, while hundreds more children have been wounded, many severely.
UNICEF is urging the parties involved in a proposed US-led peace plan to turn their commitments into action. The agency says children remain exposed to violence, displacement, malnutrition, disease, unsafe water and damaged sanitation.
At a glance:
- At least 300 children have been killed since the October 10, 2025 ceasefire announcement, according to UNICEF.
- Families are confined to about one-third of Gaza, UNICEF says.
- More than 58,000 children have lost one or both parents, and more than one million require protection and psychosocial support.
- UNICEF delivered more than 600 pallets of school supplies and soap ahead of a school year expected to begin within two weeks.
Children remain in dangerous and worsening conditions
UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Edouard Beigbeder said a ceasefire that leaves an average of one child dead each day is failing children. The agency says families are sheltering across about a third of the enclave, among destroyed buildings, rubble and uncleared waste.
Related coverage: Israel Escalates Military Operations in Gaza Despite US-Backed Ceasefire Roadmap.
Children also face acute malnutrition, disease, unsafe water and damaged sanitation. A shortage of incubators has left some premature newborns sharing machines, according to UNICEF.
The wider child protection crisis
Since October 2023, more than 73,300 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to health authorities in the territory. UNICEF says more than 58,000 children have lost one or both parents, while more than one million children need protection and psychosocial support.
The agency has previously estimated that about 17,000 children were unaccompanied or separated from their families. Families are also experiencing repeated displacement, loss of income and limited access to healthcare, education and protection.
Education and childhood disrupted
UNICEF and aid groups say many children in displacement camps spend their days fetching water, queuing for food and gathering firewood instead of playing. Summer camps and basic materials such as paper, pens and art supplies remain scarce.
A UNICEF assessment in May found that young children lacked safe, stimulating environments for early development, while school-aged children faced prolonged interruptions to learning. The agency delivered more than 600 pallets of school supplies and soap ahead of a school year expected to start within two weeks.
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