Unicef: At least 74 children killed in Gaza during first week of 2025

Seventy four Palestinian children have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza City, Khan Younis and the Israeli designated "safe zone" within the first week of this year, Unicef said on Wednesday.

“For the children of Gaza, the new year has brought more death and suffering from attacks, deprivation, and increasing exposure to the cold,” the UN children's agency's executive director Catherine Russell said.

“A ceasefire is long overdue. Too many children have been killed or lost loved ones in a tragic start to the new year," she added.

Unicef highlighted in a statement that lack of shelter amid plummeting temperatures has also posed a "major threat" to children in the strip.

“With more than a million children living in makeshift tents, and with many families displaced over the past 15 months, children face extreme risks,” it said.

“Since December 26, eight infants and newborns have reportedly died from hypothermia – a major threat to young children who are unable to regulate their body temperature".

At least 74 children have reportedly been killed in relentless violence in the #Gaza Strip in just the first seven days of 2025. The most recent attack, yesterday, saw five children reportedly killed in Al Mawasi - a unilaterally designated 'safe zone’.https://t.co/sbEJluYmK4

— UNICEF MENA - يونيسف الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا (@UNICEFmena) January 8, 2025