GENEVA: The United Nations on Tuesday strongly condemned the growing number of Palestinian child deaths linked to Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank, warning that children are bearing a devastating human cost amid escalating violence across the territory.
According to the UN children’s agency, at least 70 Palestinian children have been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the beginning of 2025.
The organisation described the situation as deeply alarming and called for urgent measures to protect civilians, particularly minors.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, UNICEF spokesman James Elder said the scale of the violence against children had become “intolerable,” stressing that young Palestinians were increasingly caught in the middle of intensifying military operations, raids, and armed confrontations.
“Children are paying an intolerable price for escalating military operations and attacks across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” Elder said during the briefing.
He added that, based on available figures collected by the agency, “between January 2025 and today, at least one Palestinian child has been killed on average every single week” in the territory.
The remarks come amid continuing Israeli military activity in several areas of the West Bank, particularly in refugee camps and densely populated urban centres where security raids and clashes have intensified in recent months, according to AFP.
Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned that the deteriorating security situation is placing growing pressure on Palestinian families, forcing many residents to flee their homes while disrupting access to education, healthcare, and essential services.
Images from the city of Jenin earlier this year showed displaced children sheltering in student residences after leaving the nearby refugee camp during military operations.
Aid organisations say repeated violence and displacement are having a severe psychological and humanitarian impact on children living in the occupied territories.
The United Nations has consistently urged Israel to uphold international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of civilians, especially children, during armed conflict and security operations.
The latest UN criticism is likely to add to mounting international concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in the West Bank, where tensions have remained high alongside the broader regional conflict.
