Unicef warns of alarming rise in Palestinian children killed by Israel in the West Bank

The regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), Edouard Beigbeder, has voiced grave concern over the increasing number of Palestinian children killed and wounded by Israel in the occupied West Bank.

“In the first two months of 2025, 13 Palestinian children have been killed, including seven since 19 January, following the start of a large-scale military assault in the northern West Bank,” Beigbeder said in a statement on Wednesday.

He said that since 7 October 2023, Israeli forces have killed 195 Palestinian children in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, while three Israeli children have also died. The number of Palestinian child fatalities has surged by 200 percent over the past 16 months compared to the previous period.

Families in northern West Bank refugee camps, such as Jenin, Nur Shams, Tulkarm, and Far’a, have been forced to flee their homes due to Israeli military raids.

Unicef, Beigbeder said, remains committed to working with partners to support children and families suffering under these conditions.