UNICEF says 70 Palestinian children killed in West Bank since start of 2025

JERUSALEM: At least 70 Palestinian children have been killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the beginning of 2025, UNICEF said on Tuesday, adding that the toll works out to about one child every week.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said 93% of the children were killed by Israeli forces. He added that another 850 children had been wounded, with most of the injuries caused by live ammunition.

Children are paying an intolerable price for escalating militarised operations and Israeli occupier attacks across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Elder said the harm to children was not confined to direct violence. He said there was a steady dismantling of the systems children rely on for survival and development, including housing, education, water infrastructure and access to healthcare.

According to UNICEF, more than 2,500 Palestinians were displaced in the first four months of 2026, including 1,100 children. The agency said that figure was higher than the total displacement recorded during all of 2025.

The UN agency also reported a rise in incidents affecting education. Elder said 99 education-related incidents had been documented in 2026, including killings, injuries, detentions, school demolitions and denial of access to schools.

Schools, which should be places of safety and stability, are increasingly becoming sites of fear.

he said.

Elder also pointed to worsening humanitarian conditions in the West Bank, including damage to water infrastructure and an increase in the detention of children.

UNICEF said 347 Palestinian children from the West Bank were being held in Israeli military detention, the highest number in eight years. According to the agency, more than half of them were under administrative detention.

Their suffering cannot be normalised.

Elder said, while urging Israeli authorities and influential states to act in accordance with international law to protect Palestinian children.

Displacement, schooling and detention concerns

The figures presented by UNICEF linked child casualties and injuries with broader disruption across the occupied West Bank. The agency said children were also being affected by the destruction of homes, pressure on basic services and barriers to education and healthcare.

The reported 99 education-related incidents in 2026 included a range of violations, from physical harm and detention to school demolitions and blocked access to classrooms. UNICEF said these developments were contributing to a climate of fear for children.

The agency’s data on detention showed a sharp rise in the number of Palestinian children held by Israel, with the current figure of 347 marking the highest level in eight years. UNICEF said more than half were being held without formal charge under administrative detention procedures.

UNICEF’s remarks were delivered in Geneva as the agency renewed calls for the protection of children in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.