DaysofPal – The number of children killed or injured in conflicts around the world reached its highest level on record last year, with nearly 12,000 young lives shattered, a 42 percent increase compared with 2020, according to a new report by Save the Children.
The UK-based humanitarian organization said 70 percent of these casualties were caused by explosive weapons, reflecting the growing trend of wars pushed into densely populated urban areas. Its report, Children and Blast Injuries, paints a devastating picture of modern warfare and its toll on childhood.
Deliberate destruction of childhood
“The world is witnessing the deliberate destruction of childhood, and the evidence is undeniable,” said Narmina Strishenets, senior conflict and humanitarian advocacy adviser at Save the Children UK.
“Children are paying the highest price in today’s wars. Missiles are falling where children sleep, play, and learn, turning homes, classrooms, and hospitals into death traps.”
The report notes that while children in conflict zones were once most threatened by disease, malnutrition, and collapsing health systems, today it is aerial and ground bombardments that are killing and maiming them at unprecedented rates.
What was once condemned as intolerable is now increasingly dismissed by governments as the “cost of war,” the organization warned, calling this shift “one of the most dangerous moral failures of our time.”
Gaza: the deadliest place in the world for children
The report identifies the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the occupied West Bank, along with Sudan, Myanmar, Ukraine, and Syria, as the deadliest conflict zones for children in 2024.
Gaza remains the most lethal by far. Since October 7, 2023, more than 20,000 children have been killed in Israeli attacks, marking the highest child death toll of any recent conflict. UNICEF estimates that over 64,000 children in Gaza have been killed or injured during the war, as homes, hospitals and schools continue to be reduced to rubble and the healthcare system collapses.
Save the Children reports that Gaza now has “the largest cohort of child amputees in modern history.”
Even after a ceasefire formally began on October 10, Israeli strikes continued across the enclave. At least 46 children have been killed since that date, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
“In 2024 alone, explosive weapons in Gaza left an average of 475 children every month with potentially lifelong disabilities, from amputations and severe burns to hearing loss and complex fractures,” the report said.
Medical specialists involved in the report stressed that blast injuries are especially devastating for children.
“Children are far more vulnerable to explosive weapons than adults,” said Dr. Paul Reavley, consultant pediatric emergency physician and cofounder of the Paediatric Blast Injury Partnership.
“Their anatomy, physiology, and psychosocial needs mean they are disproportionately affected.”
Treating such injuries is extremely complex, especially when children require amputations or reconstructive surgeries while still growing.
“It takes specialized knowledge and continued research to ensure children can not only recover but grow after amputation or surgery,” said Professor Anthony Bull of Imperial College London.
Save the Children warns that the dangers do not end when bombardments stop. Explosive remnants of war, unexploded bombs, artillery shells, and landmines pose ongoing threats for years. Meanwhile, the psychological impact on children, families, and communities may last a lifetime.
“The scars of blast injuries are not only physical,” the report cautions. “They shape futures, destroy communities, and leave children with trauma that extends far beyond the battlefield.”
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