Gaza and West Bank: Children's Lives Continue to Be Taken; UNICEF Regional Director Calls for Global Outrage

A boy who lost his legs due to an airstrike in post-ceasefire Gaza (Palestine, May 2026) © UNICEF 2026 Video/UNI1007994 *Not directly related to the content of this release.

AMMAN, Jordan – June 10, 2026 – In response to the ongoing attacks in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in Palestine, which continue to claim the lives of children and cause injuries, the UNICEF Middle East and North Africa Regional Director, Eduardo Beigbeder, issued the following statement:

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Last weekend, it was reported that eight children were killed and 17 injured in five separate incidents in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, a seven-month-old infant was killed by Israeli forces' gunfire in the Tel Rumeida area of Hebron.

Once again, children's lives have been lost. In one location in Gaza that came under attack, children playing football were injured by a nearby bombing.

In the West Bank, a seven-month-old infant, who had not yet begun to walk, was shot while being held on his mother's lap in the back seat of a car.

We must never allow this situation to become normalized. The killing of children through violence should provoke outrage worldwide and be condemned at every level.

In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, killing and injuring children and their families, forcibly displacing people, and attacking schools, homes, and water and health infrastructure represent a flagrant disregard for children's rights.

A kindergarten in the West Bank that came under attack. Children's belongings are scattered in the classroom (Palestine, May 12, 2026) © UNICEF 2026 Video/UNI990570 *Not directly related to the content of this release.

UNICEF calls on the Israeli authorities to take decisive measures to protect all Palestinian children. When incidents resulting in the death or serious injury of children occur, authorities must conduct transparent, credible, and thorough investigations and establish accountability.

International human rights and humanitarian laws must be respected, and the inherent right to life of every child must be protected.

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