MORE than 340 children have been killed and hundreds more injured in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire was announced on Oct 10, highlighting the continuing toll of the conflict on children despite the truce, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said.
UNICEF spokesman Ricardo Pires said the figures offered little sense of a ceasefire for families mourning the loss of their children.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Pires said seven children — five boys and two girls — had been reported killed, while at least 33 children were seriously injured in air strikes, drone attacks and gunfire across Gaza over the past two weeks.
About 800,000 children have been affected by the conflict, which began in October 2023, with many now living in tents or heavily damaged buildings.
An estimated 60,000 children have lost one or both parents during the war or since the ceasefire, and nearly all require mental health support, Pires said.
He highlighted the plight of Norhan, 16, whose mother was shot dead while eight months pregnant.
With her father living with a disability, Norhan has taken on responsibility for caring for her one-year-old sister, cooking and cleaning. She also helps her three other siblings with their studies after they return from UNICEF-supported learning centres.
Pires warned that children’s recovery depended on the sustained flow of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies into Gaza.
“We cannot go back to a situation where children and families here do not get all the supplies, goods and services they need,” he said.
The warning comes as winter approaches, threatening to compound the hardship faced by families displaced or left living in damaged buildings after more than two years of conflict. - October 17, 2026