Amman, 3 August 2026 –
- The pace of violence in the Middle East must be de-escalated now. The risks to children in the region must end, with the conflict now ongoing for more than five months.
- Children across the region continue to pay the highest price for escalating violence. From the occupied Palestinian territory to Lebanon and Iran, children are being killed, injured, displaced, and losing access to the healthcare, education, and protection they desperately need.
- Children across the occupied Palestinian territory continue to face relentless violence, with hostilities in Gaza and military operations and settler attacks in the West Bank exposing them to grave risks.
- Gaza: Despite the “ceasefire” agreement, children continue to be killed, and essential civilian infrastructure remains under attack. In massive strikes on Sunday, the Israeli Army reportedly killed four children. One of them was reported to be the fetus of a pregnant woman who was found beneath the rubble. Israeli forces also struck and demolished two medical supply warehouses in Deir al-Balah, further disrupting access to lifesaving medical supplies.
- Last week, Israeli forces reportedly killed an eight-year-old and an 18-month-old- child in separate airstrikes on homes in Gaza City and Khan Younis.
- West Bank: Israeli military operations and settler attacks intensified across the West Bank, with Palestinian communities reporting attacks on civilians and property in multiple locations. Last Friday, Israeli settlers shot a 10-year-old child in the back during an attack on a village near Ramallah. Israeli authorities also extended military orders preventing residents from returning to the Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps until the end of September, prolonging the displacement of thousands of families and disrupting children’s access to education, healthcare and other essential services.
- In Lebanon, more than 375,000 people remain internally displaced of which 35% are estimated to be children, due to the Israeli Army escalation in the southern part of Lebanon, where shelling and house demolitions continue.
- Iranian state media reported the latest strikes last week killed three people, including a two-year-old child, on Qeshm island, while other locations were also hit in the south and west of the country.
- Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab Strait that connects the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Arden remain low. With these pressures increasing shipping, insurance, fuel and food costs and making humanitarian assistance slower and more expensive.
- Ahmad Alhendawi, Save the Children’s Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, said:
“Children are paying the price daily for this dangerous escalation which must end now. The international community must pressure all parties to immediately de-escalate, act responsibly towards children, cease all military operations, and pursue peaceful resolutions to their disputes.
“Children are directly impacted by blocked routes and restricted maritime traffic. Disruption is delaying humanitarian supplies and driving up the cost of food, fuel, and medicine. These waterways must remain open and safe for civilian and humanitarian traffic”.
“Effective accountability measures must be implemented for all those who have committed crimes against children in the region. Greater efforts must also be directed towards improving the conditions of children who are directly or indirectly affected by this escalation.”