Explosive weapons push child death toll to record levels worldwide, including in Syria

Explosive weapons caused a record number of child deaths and injuries last year, as wars increasingly moved into urban areas, according to a report published Thursday by Save the Children Organization.

The British organization cited UN statistics showing that around 12,000 children were killed or injured last year in conflicts worldwide. This figure is the highest since records began in 2006 and 42% higher than the total number in 2020.

Previously, children in war-affected areas were more likely to die from malnutrition, disease, or the collapse of healthcare systems.

However, with the rise of conflicts in urban areas such as the wars in Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine, children have become trapped by bombs and drones striking hospitals, schools, and residential areas, according to the organization.

The report indicated that more than 70% of children who died in conflict zones in 2024 were killed by explosive weapons, such as rockets and hand grenades, compared to an average of 59% between 2020 and 2024.

Narmina Strishenets, a representative of the organization, said, "The world is witnessing the deliberate destruction of childhood, and the evidence is undeniable."

She added, "Children are paying the highest price in today’s wars… rockets fall where children sleep, play, and learn, turning places that should be the safest, such as their homes and schools, into death traps."

Paul Reavley, a pediatric emergency medicine consultant, said, "Children are more vulnerable to explosive weapons than adults" due to their weaker bodies.

The conflicts that caused the highest number of child casualties in 2024 were in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, Sudan, Burma, Ukraine, and Syria.

The report noted that the deadliest conflict for children in recent years was in Gaza, where 20,000 children have been killed since Israel launched its war on the Strip in response to a Hamas attack in October 2023. 

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ANHA