Urban Warfare: Safe Spaces for Children Becoming Death Traps

International Desk, PNN

According to international charity Save the Children, nearly 12,000 children were killed or injured in conflicts worldwide last year. A new report released Thursday states that around 70% of these casualties were caused by explosive weapons. This is the highest number since the organization began collecting data in 2006.

The report highlights a 42% increase in child casualties compared to 2020, calling it “clear evidence of childhood destruction.”

Titled Children and Blast Injuries, the report notes that modern urban warfare has dramatically increased the impact of explosives on children. Homes, schools, and playgrounds—places that should be safe—have turned into death traps.

Narmina Strishenets, Humanitarian Advocacy Advisor at Save the Children, said, “In today’s wars, children’s lives are being treated as the highest cost… acts once condemned are now ignored as the ‘price of war,’ which is extremely dangerous.”

In 2024, Gaza and the West Bank saw the highest child casualties. Reports indicate that over 20,000 children were killed in Gaza due to continuous Israeli attacks, with UNICEF estimating more than 64,000 injured or killed.

The collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system has made saving many children impossible. Save the Children warns that Gaza is witnessing “the largest child amputations in modern history.”

Despite ceasefire agreements, ongoing Israeli attacks have killed at least 46 more children in recent weeks, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

In 2024, an average of 475 children per month in Gaza suffered lifelong physical injuries due to explosives, such as amputations, hearing loss, severe burns, or complex fractures.

In Sudan, nearly 10 million children live within five kilometers of conflict zones. Child casualties rose from 1,200 in 2023 to 1,739 in 2024—a 40% increase.

In Ukraine, injuries or disabilities among children caused by explosives increased by 70%, from 339 in 2023 to 577 in 2024.

Children’s smaller body size and developing organs make them particularly vulnerable. Medical experts emphasize that post-amputation rehabilitation is extremely complex and long-term. Imperial College London specialists note that saving children is difficult, but restoring them to a normal life is even more challenging.

Save the Children warns that the effects of explosives extend beyond active conflict. Unexploded ordnance poses years-long threats, while psychological trauma and social disruption deeply affect children’s long-term well-being.

Source: Al Jazeera