Political

Gaza children: UNICEF says more than 340 killed since the ceasefire was announced a year ago

By /

Gaza children continue to be killed despite the ceasefire, UNICEF said on 16 October 2026. A little more than a year after the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was announced, more than 340 children have been reported killed and hundreds more injured, spokesperson Ricardo Pires told journalists in Geneva. The figures cover the period since the ceasefire announced in October 2025.

Gaza children: A teacher checks students' work in a tent classroom in Gaza City
A teacher checks students' work in a tent classroom in Gaza City Photo: © UN News (editorial use with credit).

What UNICEF said about Gaza children

Pires said that for families mourning their children, such terrible figures do not add up to a ceasefire. In the last two weeks alone, five boys and two girls were reported killed and at least 33 children seriously injured in airstrikes, drone strikes and gunfire across the Strip, he said. Two more boys died of injuries suffered earlier. Pires was speaking at the regular UN press briefing. The UN Geneva briefing record and UNICEF’s own release carry the same account. Pires said the effects of the war reach every part of children’s lives, including where they sleep, what they eat and whether they can learn. UNICEF’s one-year report says more than 600 children have been injured since the ceasefire, many of them with life-altering injuries.

Key Facts

  • Children reported killed since ceasefire: 340+
  • Killed in last two weeks: 7 (5 boys, 2 girls)
  • Seriously injured in last two weeks: 33+
  • Back in learning since ceasefire: 560,000+ children
  • Briefing: UNICEF, Geneva, 16 Oct 2026

“We can't go back to a situation where children and families are not getting all the supplies, goods and services that they require.”

— Ricardo Pires, UNICEF spokesperson, via UN News

A teenager raising her baby sister

Pires shared the story of 16-year-old Norhan, whose mother was shot while eight months pregnant. She gave birth and died the next day. Norhan’s father lives with a disability, so she now looks after her one-year-old sister, Narjis. Her days are spent cleaning, cooking and playing with the baby. Her three other siblings attend a UNICEF-supported learning centre, and she helps them with their studies after class because, as she says, they might just have a future. UNICEF says more than 560,000 children have returned to learning since the ceasefire, including at over 200 learning centres it supports.

Humanitarian aid and the coming winter

Asked about reports that private traders in Gaza had stopped cooperating with Israeli authorities on letting commercial food trucks in, Pires said an uninterrupted flow of humanitarian and commercial goods remains essential for children to recover. He recalled being in Gaza City before the ceasefire, when supplies were not getting in and UN-backed experts declared famine. He said the world cannot go back to a situation where children do not get what they need to survive. The warning comes as temperatures fall and displaced families fill empty flour bags with sand to keep rainwater out of their tents. Aid agencies continue to warn that the situation in Gaza remains dire after three years of war, UN News reported.

Why It Matters: The numbers show the ceasefire has not made Gaza safe for children, and winter plus aid limits could raise the risk of disease and hunger again.

Also on TrendDesh: Gaza winter: UN steps up preparations as attacks continue and aid stays restricted · Afghanistan hunger hits record: 15.9 million face acute food insecurity, 19.2 million by winter

Source: UN News · UNICEF · UN Geneva press briefing

Share

Today’s News 17 Oct 2026 · 21 stories

  1. India women kabaddi team meets Ashwini Vaishnaw at Rail Bhawan after Asian Games gold1India women kabaddi team meets Ashwini Vaishnaw at Rail Bhawan after Asian Games goldOct 17, 2026
  2. India Mongolia defence talks: 14th Joint Working Group meets in Ulaanbaatar, reviews cyber and training ties2India Mongolia defence talks: 14th Joint Working Group meets in Ulaanbaatar, reviews cyber and training tiesOct 17, 2026
  3. Samudra Manthan scheme: Hardeep Puri tells SRCC students to turn energy challenges into enterprises3Samudra Manthan scheme: Hardeep Puri tells SRCC students to turn energy challenges into enterprisesOct 17, 2026
  4. DGR job fair in Nagpur offers over 1,300 jobs to ex-servicemen from 42 companies4DGR job fair in Nagpur offers over 1,300 jobs to ex-servicemen from 42 companiesOct 17, 2026
  5. Breast self-examination booth, said to be India’s first portable one, opens at AIIMS Bhubaneswar5Breast self-examination booth, said to be India’s first portable one, opens at AIIMS BhubaneswarOct 17, 2026
  6. IIM Kozhikode Global MBA with Accenture LearnVantage to start in March 2027 from Kochi6IIM Kozhikode Global MBA with Accenture LearnVantage to start in March 2027 from KochiOct 17, 2026
  7. Eco-friendly Durga Puja: National Jute Board sets up 15 stalls in Kolkata pandals, runs Rs 1.5 lakh contest7Eco-friendly Durga Puja: National Jute Board sets up 15 stalls in Kolkata pandals, runs Rs 1.5 lakh contestOct 17, 2026
  8. Rajasthan Foundation gets 11 new chapters as CM Bhajan Lal Sharma asks NRRs to invest at home8Rajasthan Foundation gets 11 new chapters as CM Bhajan Lal Sharma asks NRRs to invest at homeOct 17, 2026
  9. Rajasthan panchayat election: 45,384 polling stations, 1.55 lakh posts as observers get their orders9Rajasthan panchayat election: 45,384 polling stations, 1.55 lakh posts as observers get their ordersOct 17, 2026
  10. SDRF Rajasthan wins first place at regional round of National CBRN Competition 2026 in Pune10SDRF Rajasthan wins first place at regional round of National CBRN Competition 2026 in PuneOct 17, 2026
  11. Ranthambore Tiger Reserve: collector orders CCTV, joint patrols and FIRs to stop illegal mining11Ranthambore Tiger Reserve: collector orders CCTV, joint patrols and FIRs to stop illegal miningOct 17, 2026
  12. COP31: UN meeting asks how to restore trust in climate action weeks before the Antalya summit12COP31: UN meeting asks how to restore trust in climate action weeks before the Antalya summitOct 17, 2026
  13. Ukraine civilian casualties stay at record levels: UN verifies 328 killed in September as energy attacks grow13Ukraine civilian casualties stay at record levels: UN verifies 328 killed in September as energy attacks growOct 17, 2026
  14. Ebola readiness: WHO steps up support in 22 Eastern Mediterranean countries, with Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti first14Ebola readiness: WHO steps up support in 22 Eastern Mediterranean countries, with Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti firstOct 17, 2026
  15. Antarctic sea ice at its winter peak: ESA’s Sentinel-3 image shows ice engulfing the tip of the Peninsula15Antarctic sea ice at its winter peak: ESA’s Sentinel-3 image shows ice engulfing the tip of the PeninsulaOct 17, 2026
  16. Gaza children: UNICEF says more than 340 killed since the ceasefire was announced a year ago16Gaza children: UNICEF says more than 340 killed since the ceasefire was announced a year agoOct 17, 2026 · Reading now
  17. Stephen Cash named director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, returns to where he began in 198217Stephen Cash named director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, returns to where he began in 1982Oct 17, 2026
  18. NGC 1827: Hubble captures an edge-on spiral galaxy 37 million light-years away in Columba18NGC 1827: Hubble captures an edge-on spiral galaxy 37 million light-years away in ColumbaOct 17, 2026
  19. MMX mission to Mars’ moons set to launch on 19 October, with NASA tools to sample Phobos19MMX mission to Mars’ moons set to launch on 19 October, with NASA tools to sample PhobosOct 17, 2026
  20. SpaceX CRS-35 Dragon docks with the space station, bringing science and the last roll-out solar arrays20SpaceX CRS-35 Dragon docks with the space station, bringing science and the last roll-out solar arraysOct 17, 2026
  21. Amazon fires: NASA satellite shows smoke over Manaus as El Niño drought fuels a long burning season21Amazon fires: NASA satellite shows smoke over Manaus as El Niño drought fuels a long burning seasonOct 17, 2026

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top