Armed conflict

More than 5,500 children are among the 11,000 people newly displaced in the wake of escalating violence in and around the city of El Obeid in North Kordofan, Sudan, with thousands more at risk.

After 1,000 days of war, children in Gaza said they had lost homes, schools and a sense of safety but not their hopes for the future with even the ongoing violence failing to stop them from dreaming of peace and careers to help them rebuild their communities.

The King Hussein Cancer Foundation (KHCF) and Save the Children Jordan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance mental health and psychosocial support services for children with cancer from Gaza who are receiving treatment at the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC), as well as their caregivers.

Israeli forces have reportedly killed seven Palestinian children in Gaza and the West Bank in the week since a UN Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israeli authorities and security forces have been deliberately targeting Palestinian children.

At least five children have been killed and seven more children injured by an unexploded ordnance (UXO) that detonated next to them in southern Yemen in the deadliest incident for children so far this year, Save the Children said

Dr Paul Reavley shares a powerful look at the realities children face in modern conflict, highlighting the devastating impact of blast injuries, the urgent need for specialised care, and the gaps in frontline treatment while calling for better protection, training, and global action to safeguard children in warzones.

Almost 2 million children have returned to their hometowns in Syria in the past 18 months - the largest voluntary movement of returnees globally - but many find their homes damaged, basic services collapsed and the land contaminated by explosive devices, Save the Children said.

Conflict forced Hawa*, 60, to flee with nothing. Unconditional cash from Save the Children, through the ECHO-funded Somali Cash Consortium, carried her family through their hardest months in Qandala, Somalia.

Families and children in South Sudan’s eastern Jonglei state are surviving on leaves and water lilies as hunger surges towards famine levels in parts of the country following three months of escalating violence.

Two brothers severely injured in an airstrike as they were playing football are the focus of an animated film released by Save the Children on the third anniversary of the conflict in Sudan.

As global headlines focus on soaring oil prices and financial turmoil, there is a risk of overlooking the real human cost of the Middle East conflict – the devastating toll it is taking on children.

The conflict in the Middle East and wider region is obstructing key delivery routes for humanitarian supplies, delaying lifesaving medical shipments for at least 410,000 children in three countries, said Save the Children, warning the global impact will only grow.

About 20,000 children in displacement camps and in facilities referred to as “rehabilitation” centres in northeastern Syria are at heightened risk as fighting intensifies and the situation remains fluid, with limited clarity on the security conditions affecting children and families.

Millions of children in Sudan have missed nearly 500 days of learning since the war started in April 2023 in what has become one of the world’s longest school closures, surpassing the worst shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Children in Gaza are being killed by collapsing buildings and freezing cold temperatures as tents that are the sole shelter for families are blown away in strong winds, Save the Children said

The number of child casualties in Yemen jumped 70% in 2025, with an average of one child killed or injured every day

Children in Gaza have entered 2026 facing ongoing storms and flooding that have ripped tents and left them exposed to water-borne diseases with an urgent need for supplies to rebuild shelters, Save the Children said.

Families fleeing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are arriving in Burundi at overcrowded camps with nothing, leaving children hungry, traumatised, and at risk of disease.

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