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UNICEF: 70 Children Killed in West Bank, East Jerusalem Violence Since January 2025
The U.N. children's agency said the deaths amount to around one a week, with over 800 injured. Spokesperson James Elder described a sustained pattern of violations against children after visiting the West Bank last week. Most were hit by live ammunition, according to the data released on May 12, 2026.
May 12, 9:36 AM·1m read1 source
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N. children's agency said on Tuesday. The deaths amount to around one a week, UNICEF reported, while over 800 children have been injured in the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the same period.
Most of those killed or injured were hit by live ammunition. Some children were stabbed, beaten or pepper-sprayed, UNICEF said in the briefing held in Geneva on May 12, 2026. James Elder visited the West Bank last week.
"These are not isolated incidents. They point to a sustained pattern of the worst kind of violation - violations against children," he told the Geneva press briefing. Elder said 93% of the children who had lost their lives since January 2025 had been killed by Israeli forces.
The remaining 7% were victims of settler attacks, unexploded ordnance or accidental hits by Palestinian forces. Human rights groups have described a renewed surge in violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers and soldiers since 2023. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The United Nations deems Israel's settlements on West Bank land captured in the 1967 war illegal. Most countries deem the settlements illegal, a view that Israel disputes. Al-Monitor reported that birds flew as smoke rose during an Israeli army operation in Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on February 2, 2025.
The image, captured by Raneen Sawafta, illustrated conditions in the region months before the latest UNICEF figures were released. The data released Tuesday builds on earlier patterns of violence tracked by UNICEF and other organizations. Elder spoke after his recent visit, lending direct observation to the statistical picture that covers the first four and a half months of 2025 and into early May 2026.
