Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip – The resumption of Israeli military operations in Gaza has resulted in a devastating toll on children, according to a recent statement from UNICEF. In the past 10 days alone, at least 322 children have reportedly been killed and 609 wounded in the Palestinian territory. These figures include casualties from an attack on March 23 that struck the surgical department of Al Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, where many displaced children were sheltering in makeshift tents or damaged homes.

The renewed offensive, which began on March 18 after a nearly two-month ceasefire with Hamas, has plunged Gaza's children back into a cycle of deadly violence and deprivation. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell emphasized the desperate lifeline the ceasefire had provided and the dashed hopes for recovery.

The situation is further exacerbated by Israel's ban on humanitarian aid entering Gaza since March 2. This restriction has led to increasingly scarce supplies of food, safe water, shelter, and medical care, raising the specter of malnutrition, disease, and preventable child deaths. Paramedics were seen transporting the bodies of Palestinian first responders, killed a week prior in Israeli fire on ambulances, into Nasser Medical Complex on March 30, 2025, highlighting the dangers faced by even those providing essential services.

UNICEF reports that after nearly 18 months of war, over 15,000 children have reportedly been killed, over 34,000 reportedly injured, and nearly one million children have been repeatedly displaced and denied basic services. The organization is urgently calling for an end to hostilities, the lifting of the aid ban, and the evacuation of sick or wounded children for medical attention.

Russell stated, "All parties must adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect children." UNICEF is imploring the world to take action and prevent the continued killing and suffering of children in Gaza.