On 25 July 2014 in the State of Palestine, Mohammed Fakhri Naim, 3, sits on a cot in Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. © UNICEF/NYHQ2014-1012/d’Aki

Children Have Borne the Brunt of Violence in Gaza and Israel

Hundreds of children have been killed, and thousands more have been injured.

More than 2,500 Palestinian children and at least six Israeli children have been injured in a conflict marked by indiscriminate violence and a lack of respect for humanitarian pauses. Three hundred and ninety-two children have been killed in Gaza—nearly 70% under the age of 12.

Violence has displaced thousands of families inside Gaza, including 242,000 children. Many have sought refuge in U.N.-run schools operating as shelters. Eigthy-nine U.N.-run schools in Gaza and two schools in Israel have been damaged.

Water and sanitation are now a major concern, following serious damage to Gaza's only power plant. Lack of clean water increases the risk of water-borne diseases, and diarrhea cases among children have now gone up.

On 25 July 2014 in the State of Palestine, Mohammed Fakhri Naim, 3, sits on a cot in Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. © UNICEF/NYHQ2014-1012/d’Aki