GENEVA, October 16, 2026 (WAFA) – The Israeli occupation forces have killed more than 340 children and injured hundreds of others in the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire was announced, UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires said on Friday.
Speaking during the weekly press briefing at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Pires said that Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have continued despite the ceasefire, amid the blockade imposed on the Strip.
He explained that attacks over the past two weeks have killed five boys and two girls despite the ceasefire, while at least 33 children have sustained serious injuries.
He also noted that two other children have died of injuries sustained earlier, adding that Israeli occupation forces have killed more than 340 children and injured hundreds of others since the ceasefire was announced.
Pires pointed out that around 800,000 children in Gaza remain displaced, and most live in tents or dangerous bombed-out buildings.
He said that an estimated 60,000 children have seen either one or both parents killed during the war or since the ceasefire, while nearly every child needs some form of mental health support to recover.
He added that children in Gaza were facing their fourth winter while struggling to survive, noting that the ceasefire has brought limited improvements in food security, but the consequences of the war continued to affect every aspect of their daily lives.
Pires explained that more than 560,000 children have returned to education at various educational institutions since the ceasefire was announced in October 2025, including more than 200 UNICEF-supported learning centres.
He stressed that many essential services in Gaza remained out of operation, underscoring the scale of humanitarian needs at a time when available funding fell far short of what was required.
Separately, the World Health Organization spokesperson Tarik Jašarević said in a written response to journalists’ questions about medical evacuations from Gaza that a medical evacuation had been carried out on October 12.
Jašarević said the United Nations remained committed to supporting medical evacuations to enable patients to access specialized medical care unavailable inside the Gaza Strip.
T.R.
