1,000 days of war: Gaza’s children killed, orphaned, starved

As the Gaza Strip marks 1,000 days since Israel began its genocidal war on the enclave, Palestinian children continue to face a reality shaped by killing, hunger, orphanhood, and displacement. According to official figures, the Israeli army killed more than 21,000 children and injured about 44,500 others in Gaza from October 2023 to early April 2026. Casualties did not stop even after a ceasefire entered into force in October 2025. UNICEF reported that 265 children were killed and more than 400 injured since the ceasefire, an average of nearly one child killed every day.

Physical and psychological scars

In addition to those killed and wounded, more than 58,000 children have lost one or both parents since the start of the war. Thousands have been admitted to treatment programs for acute malnutrition. The Israeli war has left deep physical and psychological scars on an entire generation. Among the dead children were 450 babies born during the war, 1,029 children who did not reach their first birthday, and 5,031 children under age 5. More than 10,500 children suffered life-changing injuries, and over 1,000 underwent amputations. About 4,000 children face the risk of death unless urgently evacuated for medical treatment outside Gaza.

Hunger and loss

Despite the ceasefire, 157 children have died from hunger and malnutrition, and 25 others died from cold inside displacement tents. In February 2026, more than 3,700 children were admitted to malnutrition treatment programs, with more than 600 suffering from severe acute malnutrition. UNICEF warned that accepting these levels of child killings risks normalising a reality that would have triggered broad international outrage elsewhere.