The grandchildren of Reda Abu Zarada sit by a fire at a camp by the sea
in Khan Younis, the Gaza Strip [Abdel Kareem Hana/AP]

Record Numbers of Children Have Been Forcibly
Displaced from Their Homes Due to Conflict
Al Jazeera

(December 28, 2024) — About 473 million, or more than one in six children, are estimated to live in conflict areas worldwide, according to the United Nations children’s agency.

UNICEF’s statement came on Saturday as conflicts continue to rage around the world, including in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine, among other places.

In Israel’s devastating war on Gaza in particular, at least 17,492 children have reportedly been killed in nearly 15 months of conflict that has reduced much of the enclave to rubble.

“By almost every measure, 2024 has been one of the worst years on record for children in conflict in UNICEF’s history – both in terms of the number of children affected and the level of impact on their lives,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

According to Russell, a child growing up in a conflict zone is far more likely to be out of school, malnourished, or forced from their home compared with a child living in places with no conflict.

“This must not be the new normal. We cannot allow a generation of children to become collateral damage to the world’s unchecked wars,” the director said.

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