The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has revealed that at least 322 children have been killed since Israel launched a renewed offensive in Gaza two weeks ago.
The agency also disclosed that 609 other children had been wounded during the same period.
“The ceasefire in Gaza provided a desperately needed lifeline for Gaza’s children and hope for a path to recovery,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “But children have again been plunged into a cycle of deadly violence and deprivation.”
Israel resumed its military operations in Gaza on 18 March, citing Hamas’s rejection of a new US proposal to extend the ceasefire and secure the release of the 59 hostages still held in the enclave. Hamas, however, accused Israel of violating the original agreement reached in January.
According to UNICEF, “relentless and indiscriminate bombardments” have resumed in Gaza, with 100 children killed or maimed every day in the 10 days leading up to 31 March. Most of the children killed were displaced and sheltering in makeshift tents or damaged homes, the agency said.
UNICEF’s figures are based on reports from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry—data that Israel has consistently disputed but that the UN and other international organisations consider reliable.
Independent verification remains difficult as Israel continues to bar international journalists, including the BBC, from entering Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC it is “committed to mitigating civilian harm during operational activity” and to “respecting all applicable international legal obligations, including the law of armed conflict.” It added that it “makes great efforts to estimate and consider potential civilian collateral damage in its strikes.”
Since the war began more than 18 months ago, UNICEF estimates that 15,000 children have been killed, over 34,000 injured, and nearly one million repeatedly displaced.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has worsened in recent weeks, with Israel blocking aid deliveries since 2 March—the longest such restriction since the war began.
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“Without these essential supplies, malnutrition, diseases, and other preventable conditions will likely surge, leading to an increase in preventable child deaths,” UNICEF warned in a press release.
The UN reduced its operations in Gaza on 24 March, a day after Israeli forces killed eight Palestinian medics, six Civil Defence first responders, and a UN staff member in southern Gaza.
Israel launched its military campaign against Hamas following the group’s 7 October 2023 cross-border attack, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Hamas is designated a terrorist organisation by Israel, the UK, the US, and other countries.
The ongoing conflict has led to more than 50,399 deaths in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
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