Armed conflict

For brothers Osama*, 6, and Yousef*, 10, the day returning home after the end of 14 years of conflict in Syria should have been one of celebration - but instead it was one of tragedy

Israel’s aid restrictions mean that severe winter weather is cutting children in Gaza off from much-needed child protection and psychosocial support services, Save the Children said, as storms began again today

Syrians returning home full of hope in the year since the conflict ended said they are struggling to rebuild their lives amid destroyed infrastructure, limited access to schools and healthcare, and a collapsing economy, Save the Children said.

Israeli military operations have forced entire communities in areas of the northern West Bank into lockdown in their homes, keeping children out of school, jeopardising family incomes and increasing risk of physical violence and child detention from the Israeli military, Save the Children said.

Record numbers of attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine in the past two months have forced school closures and also disrupted the remote learning that children have relied upon for nearly four years of war, said Save the Children

Children in Gaza are sleeping on the bare ground with no shelter, in flimsy shorts and t-shirts that are sodden with sewage water after their tents flooded in a weekend of heavy rains, putting them at risk of disease, Save the Children said

One month after an agreed pause in hostilities in Gaza, children and families’ lives remain in limbo, with people unable to start repairs to homes without equipment and many scared to move due to unexploded ordinance or the fear of further airstrikes, Save the Children said.

After walking for four days to escape the escalating violence in El Fasher, mothers arriving in Tawila in desperate need of aid recounted harrowing journeys, telling Save the Children how they were attacked by armed men on motorbikes and some robbed along the way.

From destroyed homes and playgrounds to dreams of becoming doctors, writers, and fashion designers, children in Gaza have expressed how two years of war have reshaped their lives and risk shattering their dreams in a series of drawings released today by Save the Children

Reports of an impending pause in hostilities in Gaza signals a hopeful reprieve on the horizon for families and children, but must be a turning point to secure a definitive ceasefire, said Save the Children.

The leaders of over 20 major aid groups in Gaza call for urgent intervention after a UN commission concluding, for the first time, that genocide is being committed.

The equivalent of about 150 classrooms of children have been killed or injured in Ukraine since the start of full-scale war

At least one Palestinian child has been killed every hour on average by Israeli forces in Gaza over nearly 23 months of war, with the number of children killed now surpassing 20,000, Save the Children said.

Children in frontline areas of Ukraine have lost 25% more days of learning due to the war than the world’s longest COVID-19 school closures, as a lack of bomb shelters means it is still too dangerous to for children to attend class, Save the Children said today.

Below is a statement from Save the Children International CEO Inger Ashing to the UN Security Council on Wednesday, 27th August.

As the Israeli government’s siege starves the people of Gaza, aid workers are now joining the same food lines, risking being shot just to feed their families. With supplies now totally depleted, humanitarian organisations are witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes.

Fuel shortages in Gaza could cut off supplies of clean drinking water to about 44,000 children supported by Save the Children in a matter of days, increasing the risk of waterborne illnesses such as cholera, diarrhoea and dysentery, with these children only a small number of those impacted by fuel running out.

Nearly 1,000 people have been killed so far this year in Sudan while seeking health care or visiting loved ones in hospital

130+ NGOs call for immediate action to end the deadly Israeli distribution scheme (including the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation) in Gaza, revert to the existing UN-led coordination mechanisms, and lift the Israeli government’s blockade on aid and commercial supplies.

Over a dozen schools and kindergartens have reportedly been damaged in a deadly attack on Dnipro this morning, with at least two children injured when a train was shelled. The attack came just over 24 hours after a round of drone and missile strikes in Kyiv killed nine people including an 11 year old child, Save the Children said.

The number of children reporting sexual assault after fleeing into Burundi to escape violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has more than tripled this year with aid cuts dramatically reducing the support available, said Save the Children.

This op-ed by Bujar Hoxha, Save the Children Syria Country Director, highlights the urgent humanitarian crisis facing Syria’s children amid political change. With millions affected by hunger, displacement, and aid cuts, he urges prioritizing children’s safety, education, and wellbeing to secure Syria’s future.

There must be no further delays in unlocking the frozen billions for children in Ukraine currently sitting with Chelsea Football Club, Save the Children said as the UK Government threatened to sue former club owner Roman Abramovich.

In this powerful firsthand account, a father of five and child protection expert exposes how war has shattered childhood in Gaza. Once joyful and free, play has turned into a survival tactic amid rubble and fear. With every playground destroyed and every safe space gone, Gaza’s children are being robbed of their future. This deeply human opinion piece calls for urgent action to protect a generation growing up in the shadows of war.

Thousands of families have arrived injured, traumatised and with no food or water in the town of Tawila after journeys of up to 70km (40 miles) on foot to flee attacks in Sudan’s Zamzam and Al Shouk camps, Save the Children said.

As ‘A Minecraft Movie’ smashes box office records, children in Bolivia have shown how the video game is not just an entertainment blockbuster but can be used as a community hit – by helping to design better public spaces for children.

The number of children going hungry in war-torn eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has surged 50% due to an escalation in violence this year, with 2.3 million more children now going without enough food [1], according to Save the Children.

The war's resumption is a death sentence for Gaza's children. This March saw some of the deadliest days for children in Gaza. In this op-ed, Rachael Cummings, Humanitarian Director for Save the Children in Gaza highlights the severity of the situation for children and calls for a definitive ceasefire.

More children have been killed and injured over the past five days in Ukraine than during the entire month of January, said Save the Children as ceasefire talks come to a close in Saudi Arabia.

Almost 5,000 trained foster families are needed in Ukraine to help children currently living full-time in institutions move into safer family-based care arrangements, especially as the war leaves more children without parental care and at risk of being admitted into institutions, Save the Children said.

More than 400 children in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were recruited by armed actors in January and February this year, with some as young as 14 years and some reported picked up from schools and the streets and put at immediate risk of violence, said Save the Children

About 375,000 children are missing out on education and vulnerable to violence and recruitment by armed groups in the North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where about 17% of schools are closed following an escalation in conflict this year, Save the Children said.

Staff Account: Elias works with Save the Children in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). During the recent escalation of conflict, he was in Goma, but was able to leave for Bukavu, South Kivu, which is separated from Goma by Lake Kivu. When the fighting reached Bukavu, he was forced to hide in his home with his family. Here, Elias shares his experience:

At least 28 children were among 52 people killed in a violent attack in Djugu territory, Ituri province, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a wave of extreme violence fuels an escalating humanitarian crisis across the country, said Save the Children.

More than 46,000 children and teenagers are missing the start of their school year in Catatumbo region in Colombia, as a major escalation in violence has forced the government to close schools across 10 districts.

Staff Account: Elias works with Save the Children in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). During the recent escalation of conflict, he was in Goma, but was able to leave for Bukavu, South Kivu, which is separated from Goma by Lake Kivu. Here, Elias shares what they have seen of the humanitarian situation in DRC.

A pause in hostilities in Gaza will protect children from bombs and bullets for as long as it holds but must be the turning point to secure a definitive ceasefire and to rapidly increase humanitarian aid to children facing malnutrition and disease, said Save the Children.

Israeli airstrikes have killed about 80 people, including an estimated 38 children [1] in Gaza in the first few days of the new year, Save the Children said.

"Children are famine’s first victims and are already facing avoidable and excruciating deaths due to malnutrition and disease," Mary Lupul, Save the Children's Sudan Humanitarian Director.

As Syria faces a critical turning point with cautious optimism for the future, the needs of children have never been higher with an urgent increase in funding required to meet immediate needs, Save the Children said.