As the war nears the end of its second year, the horrors inflicted on children under bombardment and famine continue to mount
Published : 06 Sep 2025, 01:24 PM
It has been nearly two years since a war began to rage between the peoples of Israel and Palestine on Oct 7, 2023.
Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas broke down in July. Israel is now preparing for a new offensive to seize Gaza City, calling up troops and continuing airstrikes, tank shelling, and gunfire across the enclave.
Over 62,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's air and ground war in Gaza since then, according to Gaza health officials. Most of those killed have been women and children, they added.
“The children of Gaza need protection. They need food, water, and medicine. They need a ceasefire. But more than anything, they need immediate, collective action to stop this once and for all,” says Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.
As food, water, and medical aid remain out of reach of most Gazans, over half a million people in the enclave are trapped in famine-like conditions. The WHO has warned that malnutrition rates in the Gaza Strip are reaching alarming levels, marked by a spike in related deaths in July.
Of 74 malnutrition-related deaths in 2025, 63 occurred in July – including 24 children under five, a child over five, and 38 adults.
As UNICEF says, no child will emerge from the horrors of war without the imprint of trauma.
“Instead of studying in school, we’re living in it,” Diana, one of the children whose lives have been turned upside down by the war, told the UN.
She is one of hundreds of thousands of children who face the prospect of a third year without education, trying to survive amid the bombardment and the starvation.
If the international community wants to protect the rights of children, it must address this ongoing crisis immediately. Otherwise, the traumatic two years of this war will only serve as a landmark in the suffering instead of a point of resolution.
Reporter: Samiha Mehbub Hiya
District: Rangpur
Age: 17
References
UNICEF. ‘Unimaginable horrors’: more than 50,000 children reportedly killed or injured in the Gaza Strip. May 27, 2025.
Reuters. Thousands of Israeli reservists report for duty as military chief clashes with ministers. Sept 2, 2025.
