Israeli forces have killed over 60 children in the occupied West Bank since the start of last year – most of them by live ammunition, according to a statement by the UN children’s agency UNICEF.
The agency said on average at least one child had been killed every week since January 2025, making a total of 70 children, 93 per cent of whom were killed by Israeli forces.
It added that this comes amid historic levels of attacks by settlers in the West Bank.
“Documented incidents include children shot, stabbed, beaten, and pepper sprayed,” said UNICEF spokesman James Elder in comments given at a press briefing on Tuesday (12 March).
“These are not isolated incidents – they point to a sustained pattern of the worst kinds of violations of children’s rights, as well as attacks on children’s homes, on their schools, and on the water they rely on,” Elder said.
“What is unfolding is not only an escalation in violence against Palestinian children, it is the steady dismantling of the conditions children need to survive and grow.”
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Elder’s comments came after he travelled to the West Bank to assess the situation there. He said many children were not able to access health facilities.
“Homes are demolished, education is attacked, water systems are destroyed, access to healthcare is obstructed,” he said.
UNICEF is responding by giving money, information and care to children and their families in the region to help them access safe water, sanitation and healthcare, he said.
Israel launched a military offensive in Gaza following a terrorist attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in 2023, in which scores of children were also killed by Hamas and other militants, according to the Israeli government.
The statement from UNICEF included a call for Israel to ensure that no more children are injured or killed in the conflict.
“UNICEF calls on the Israeli authorities, who have legal obligations to uphold child rights in all areas within its jurisdiction or effective control, including occupied territories, to take immediate and decisive action to prevent further killing and maiming of Palestinian children and to protect their homes, schools and access to water in line with international law,” Elder said.
The Global Health Report reached out to the Israeli Defense Forces for a reaction to the statement by UNICEF, but none was received in time for publication.
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