BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 11. At least 174 Palestinian children have been killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since January 2024, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Speaking at the UN Security Council, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Hannan Sulieman said that more than 1,500 Palestinian children have also been injured during the same period, with nearly half of the cases involving live ammunition.
Sulieman said UNICEF had documented cases in which Palestinian children were shot in situations where they did not pose an immediate threat, including while attempting to flee.
She added that children have faced violence including shootings, beatings, stabbings and the use of pepper spray, while Palestinian homes, livelihoods and water infrastructure have also been affected.
According to figures from the Israeli Prison Service cited by UNICEF, 355 Palestinian children from the West Bank are currently being held in Israeli military detention, the highest number in eight years. Nearly half of them are reportedly being held under administrative detention without charges or trial.
“Children in the West Bank have the same rights as children everywhere: to live, to learn, to be protected and to imagine a future beyond violence and fear,” Sulieman said.
