The UN agency said at least 300 children have been killed and hundreds more wounded, some seriously, since the truce took effect.
"The ceasefire, during which an average of one child is killed every day, is failing children", said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF's regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.
Beigbeder said the coming weeks would test whether conditions actually improve for Gaza's children, asking: "Will the killing stop? Will aid reach them at scale? Will hospitals reopen, will water flow, and will children safely return to school in September?"
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, citing Gaza health authorities, said 1,209 people have been killed and 3,943 wounded in the enclave since the ceasefire was declared on October 10, 2025. It said continuing airstrikes and military operations were still displacing residents and destroying shelters and infrastructure.
UNICEF said families are now packed into about a third of Gaza's territory, many living amid rubble, with limited access to safe water and functioning sanitation. The agency also reported a rise in premature births and critically ill newborns, straining hospitals that lack basic equipment.
"In some cases, medical staff say two, or even three, babies are sharing one machine", UNICEF spokesperson Louise Wateridge said, describing shortages of incubators. She said newborns were "fighting for their lives just days after birth" in hospitals still short of supplies and medicine.
Despite the dire conditions, UNICEF said it delivered more than 600 pallets of aid, including school supplies and hygiene items, to Gaza on Tuesday. More than 250,000 children are enrolled in summer education programs as officials prepare to reopen schools in about two weeks.
(jh)
Source: PAP