Explosive weapons killed or injured children at record levels last year, as wars increasingly move into urban areas, Save the Children said in a report published Thursday.
Nearly 12,000 children were killed or injured in conflict last year worldwide, said the UK-based charity, citing UN figures. This was the highest number since records began in 2006, and was up by 42 per cent on the 2020聽total.
Previously, children in war zones were more likely to die from malnutrition, disease or failing health systems.
But as conflicts, such as those in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine, take place more and more in urban areas, children are being caught up as bombs and drones strike hospitals, schools and residential areas, Save the Children said.
More than 70 per cent of child casualties in war zones in 2024 were caused by explosive weapons, such as missiles and grenades, up from an average of around 59 per cent in the period from 2020 to 2024, according to the report.
鈥楾he world is witnessing the deliberate destruction of childhood 鈥� and the evidence is undeniable,鈥� said Narmina Strishenets, senior conflict and humanitarian advocacy advisor at Save the Children UK.
鈥楥hildren are paying the highest price in today鈥檚 wars. Missiles are falling where children sleep, play and learn 鈥� turning the very places that should be the safest, like their homes and schools, into death traps.鈥�
Children鈥檚 smaller bodies and developing organs means injuries from blasts can be much more severe and recovery can be more complex and prolonged.
鈥楥hildren are far more vulnerable to explosive weapons than adults,鈥� said Paul Reavley, a consultant paediatric emergency physician and co-founder of the Paediatric Blast Injury Partnership, a coalition between Save the Children UK and medical specialists.
鈥楾heir anatomy, physiology, behaviour and psychosocial needs make them disproportionately affected.鈥�
The conflicts that claimed the most casualties among children in 2024 were in the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the occupied West Bank, Sudan, Myanmar, Ukraine and Syria.
The deadliest conflict in recent years for children is in Gaza, where 20,000 children have been killed since Israel launched its war on the territory in retaliation for Islamist group Hamas鈥檚 October 2023 attack, the report said.
