6 days ago
More Than 50,000 Children Killed Or Injured In Gaza
Six hundred days after the start of the war in Gaza, Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, asks, 'How many more dead girls and boys will it take?"
Injured during an air strike, Yousef lies among the ruins of the tent where his family has been living in a schoolyard in Al-Shuja'iya, Gaza City.
Since the end of the ceasefire on March 18, 1,309 children have reportedly been killed and 3,738 injured in Gaza. In total, more than 50,000 children have been reported dead or injured since October 2023.
Over the past weekend, 10 siblings under age 12 were pulled from the rubble of their family's home in Khan Younis. Only one reportedly survived, with critical injuries. Days later, a small child was trapped in a burning school in Gaza City; at least 31 people, including 18 children, were reported dead.
Yousef, center, lies among ruins in Al-Shuja'iya on May 27, 2025. 'We were sleeping here in a tent in the schoolyard, and suddenly the tent and stones collapsed on us," Yousef says. "My leg was broken.' His father, left, adds: 'Suddenly, we found ourselves under the rubble. I tried to get out from underneath, and I found my younger son inside — I pulled him out. When I looked around, all I could see was fire. People were burning and screaming. My younger son, Kinan, was injured and is now in the intensive care unit at the hospital.'
"Images from [these] two horrific attacks provide yet more evidence of the unconscionable cost of this ruthless war on children in the Gaza Strip," Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa said in a statement.
'These children — lives that should never be reduced to numbers — are now part of a long, harrowing list of unimaginable horrors: the grave violations against children, the blockade of aid, the starvation, the constant forced displacement and the destruction of hospitals, water systems, schools and homes. In essence, the destruction of life itself in the Gaza Strip."
A mother holds her 1-year-old daughter, Asmaa, outside a UNICEF malnutrition screening and treatment point in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip on May 25, 2025. 'Asmaa started losing weight a few months ago because it was really difficult to find anything to eat. Nothing is available, and I can hardly provide any food for my baby. She started to improve slightly when she began eating the nutrition supplements provided here. She now weighs nine kilos — before, she only weighed five.'
Despite the extremely challenging circumstances, UNICEF staff remain present on the ground in the Gaza Strip, delivering supplies and essential services where they are most needed.
UNICEF continues to screen and treat children for malnutrition, and to distribute multipurpose cash assistance to help families purchase food and medicines, when they are available in the market. UNICEF is supporting critical water, sanitation and hygiene services, including the delivery of safe drinking water to 1.5 million people. Children are attending UNICEF temporary learning spaces, and being vaccinated against measles, polio and diphtheria.
With the summer approaching, the country office is extremely concerned about the the outbreak of waterborne diseases, especially acute watery diarrhea, where they have seen increases. Sustained support is needed from donors to reach every child in need.
Learn more about UNICEF's ongoing emergency response in Gaza
On May 25, 2025, a mother holds her 1-year-old son at a UNICEF-supported malnutrition screening and treatment point in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip. 'We are originally from Rafah, and I have been displaced many times,' she said. 'I have been struggling since he was born. The saddest thing is that he needs nutritious food, which is not available. He is always tired and sick, and refuses to eat anything. But he loves this [ready-to-use therapeutic] food — when he sees it, he starts eating it right away.'
Every child has the right to a safe and healthy childhood. UNICEF is once again urging all parties to the conflict to end the violence, protect civilians, including children, respect international humanitarian law and human rights law, allow the immediate provision of humanitarian aid, and release all hostages.
"How many more dead girls and boys will it take?" asked Beigbeder. "What level of horror must be live streamed before the international community fully steps up, uses its influence, and takes bold, decisive action to force the end of this ruthless killing of children?"
'The children of Gaza need protection," Beigbeder continued. "They need food, water and medicine. They need a ceasefire. But more than anything, they need immediate, collective action to stop this once and for all.'
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Right now, the lives of the most vulnerable children hang in the balance as conflicts and crises jeopardize the care and protection that they deserve. Dependable, uninterrupted and effective foreign aid is critical to the well-being of millions of children. Please contact your members of Congress and urge them to support ongoing U.S. investments in foreign assistance.
