Children shot, stabbed and pepper-sprayed in occupied West Bank

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- UNICEF says 70 Palestinian children have been killed in the West Bank since January 2025, averaging at least one per week, and 850 have been injured, mostly by live ammunition.
- UNICEF reports a record surge in settler‑related injuries, with March 2026 marking the highest number of Palestinians hurt by settler attacks in the past 20 years.
- UNICEF notes that 347 Palestinian children are currently in Israeli military detention for alleged security offenses, the highest in eight years, and 180 of them are held under administrative detention without regular legal counsel.
- WHO estimates that about 10,000 children in Gaza live with life‑changing injuries, and that 43,000 of the 172,000 total injuries since October 2023 are severe.
- UN agencies have documented at least 229 children killed and 260 injured in Gaza since the October 2025 ceasefire.
Why it matters: Palestinian children and families bear the loss, while Israel faces intensified global scrutiny as UN agencies document a record surge in child casualties, with 70 killed and 850 injured in the West Bank alone.




