UNICEF Warns Gaza Ceasefire Failing Children as More Than 100 Killed Since October

“Roughly one girl or boy is being killed every day—during a ceasefire,” UNICEF said, describing conditions in Gaza as “suffocating”, with survival still dependent on fragile and incomplete humanitarian access.

 

More than 100 Palestinian children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire announced in early October, despite a reduction in large-scale hostilities, UNICEF has warned—underscoring that the pause in fighting has failed to deliver real safety for children.

“Roughly one girl or boy is being killed every day—during a ceasefire,” UNICEF said, describing conditions in Gaza as “suffocating”, with survival still dependent on fragile and incomplete humanitarian access.

UNICEF reports that at least 60 boys and 40 girls have been confirmed killed since the ceasefire began. The figure reflects only incidents with verified details, meaning the true death toll is likely higher. Hundreds more children have been injured.

“What the world now calls ‘calm’ would be considered a crisis anywhere else,” UNICEF said. “The ceasefire has slowed the bombs—but it has not stopped them.”

Children Still Paying the Price

UNICEF highlighted individual cases that reflect the ongoing risks. Nine-year-old Abid Al Rahman was collecting firewood with friends in Khan Younis when an airstrike struck nearby. Shrapnel tore into his eye—metal fragments remain lodged there.

“Children are still being buried,” UNICEF said. “That alone shows this ceasefire is not enough.”

Despite reduced large-scale bombardment, airstrikes and shootings continue, while severe restrictions remain on:

• Medical supplies

• Cooking gas and fuel

• Equipment needed to repair water and sanitation systems

Humanitarian Gains—But Far From Enough

UNICEF acknowledged that the ceasefire has enabled meaningful but fragile humanitarian progress:

• Expanded primary healthcare, including immunisation, particularly in northern Gaza

• Removal of more than 1,000 tonnes of solid waste each month to improve sanitation

• Distribution of nearly one million thermal blankets and hundreds of thousands of winter clothing kits during extreme cold

• Emergency repairs to water pipelines, pumping stations and sewerage networks, largely through local ingenuity

• Expansion of over 70 nutrition facilities, helping push back famine conditions

Yet UNICEF stressed that two years of war have left children psychologically devastated, with trauma deepening as access to mental health support remains severely limited.

“Children still live in fear,” UNICEF said. “Their psychological wounds remain untreated—and grow harder to heal with every passing day.”

Call for Enforcement, Access and Accountability

UNICEF warned that a ceasefire that merely reduces violence—but continues to claim children’s lives—cannot be considered a success.

“A ceasefire that slows the bombs is progress,” the organisation said. “But one that still buries children is a warning.”

UNICEF called for:

• Full enforcement of the ceasefire

• Unrestricted humanitarian access

• Massively expanded medical evacuations

• Accountability for violations

“This must be the moment when reduced violence turns into real safety,” UNICEF said. “The killing of children in Gaza must truly end.”