UNICEF regional director says 351 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire was announced

25 October 2026

Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, has issued a statement on the continuing killing of children in the Gaza Strip. The statement says eight children were killed and 20 injured across the Gaza Strip in six days, and that 351 children have been killed since the ceasefire was announced in October 2025. It names children killed at Deir al Balah, al-Maghazi, the Beit Lahia area and northern Nuseirat, two of whom attended UNICEF-supported learning centres. A shell hit a school sheltering families, injuring two children. UNICEF says a ceasefire that does not protect children has failed them, and urges action under international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions, with transparent accountability when children are killed or maimed.