At least 70 Palestinian children have been killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the beginning of 2025, averaging roughly one child per week, UNICEF said on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, James Elder, spokesperson for the UNICEF, said 93% of the children were killed by Israeli forces, while another 850 children were injured, most 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.
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He warned that the violence was not limited to direct attacks but also involved the “steady dismantling” of systems children depend on to survive and grow, including homes, schools, water infrastructure, and healthcare access.
According to UNICEF, more than 2,500 Palestinians, including 1,100 children, were displaced in the first four months of 2026 alone, exceeding the total displacement recorded during all of 2025.
Elder also cited a sharp increase in attacks affecting education, with 99 documented education-related incidents 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.
The spokesperson further warned of worsening humanitarian conditions, including damage to water infrastructure and rising child detentions.
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According to UNICEF, 347 Palestinian children from the West Bank were currently held in Israeli military detention, the highest number in eight years, with more than half under administrative detention.
“Their suffering cannot be normalised,” Elder said, urging Israeli authorities and influential states to act in line with international law to protect Palestinian children.
