At least 70 Palestinian children have been killed in the occupied West Bank since the start of 2025, with Israeli forces responsible for 93% of these deaths, the UN reported [1, 2]. On average, one Palestinian child has been killed every week amid rising Israeli military operations and settler attacks across the region [1, 2].

The violence has left 850 children injured during the same period, many hit by live ammunition, according to James Elder, spokesman for the UN children’s agency, who said, "Children are paying an intolerable price for escalating military operations and settler attacks across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem" [1, 2].

Children in the West Bank have faced shootings, stabbings, beatings, and pepper spraying by Israeli soldiers and settlers [1, 2]. The UN highlighted the erosion of conditions necessary for children’s survival and development, including demolished homes, destroyed education facilities, attacks on water systems, restricted healthcare access, and movement limitations. Elder noted, "Homes are demolished, education is destroyed, water systems are attacked, access to healthcare is obstructed, movement is restricted" [2].

Displacement has surged in 2026, with over 2,500 Palestinians—including 1,100 children—forced from their homes in the first four months alone. Elder said this "surpasses the total displacement recorded in 2025" [1, 2].

The uptick in violence followed the outbreak of war in Gaza in October 2023 after a Hamas attack inside Israel. Since then, at least 1,070 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers in the West Bank, according to Palestinian Authority figures compiled by AFP [1, 2]. Israeli official data records at least 46 Israeli fatalities, including soldiers and civilians, over the same period [1, 2].

March 2026 saw the highest number of Palestinians injured by Israeli settlers in at least 20 years [1, 2]. The surge in settler violence continues alongside ongoing military operations, worsening the situation for Palestinian civilians.

The UN’s data and statements underscore a worsening humanitarian crisis affecting Palestinian children in the West Bank. The next key milestone will be tracking whether displacement and casualties increase further through 2026 and the international community’s response.