Just weeks into 2026, the impact of violence and conflict on children across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is already severe. Children in the region have been killed, injured, displaced, arrested, and denied access to education and essential services as ongoing conflicts continue to disrupt their lives, often irreparably.
In Syria, renewed clashes in the northeast have displaced nearly 200,000 people, approximately half of whom are children. Essential services have been disrupted, and at least five children have reportedly died in Ain Al Arab/Kobani due to the lack of health care and winter supplies.
In Sudan, at least 20 children were killed in January 2026, primarily in Kordofan and Darfur. Millions of children require lifesaving assistance, protection, and restoration of essential services. Famine has already been confirmed in Al Fasher, North Darfur, and Kadugli, Kordofan, with nearly 20 additional areas at risk as conflict hampers the delivery of critical humanitarian aid.
Iran has also seen devastating consequences for children and adolescents, with over 144 children reportedly killed and many others injured or detained. UNICEF is advocating for the protection of children, including an end to arrests and detentions, and urges de-escalation to reduce the heavy toll on families.
In the Gaza Strip, despite a fragile ceasefire, children continue to face deadly conditions, including airstrikes and disruptions to health, water, and education systems. Since the start of the year, 37 children have reportedly been killed, highlighting the urgent need for the ceasefire to hold.
Rising violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, continues to threaten children’s safety, leaving families in constant fear. In January, two children were killed and 25 injured.
Elsewhere in the region, protracted conflicts and fragile contexts have worsened humanitarian needs. Children in Yemen continue to face ongoing conflict, economic hardship, and widespread malnutrition, while families in Lebanon struggle to recover from past violence amid fears of further strikes.
UNICEF emphasizes that violence against children, including killing and maiming, is unacceptable and calls on all governments and parties to conflict to uphold international humanitarian and human rights law. The agency urges immediate action to protect children from violence, trauma, and deprivation, stressing that what children need most is peace.
