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

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.

Three horrific acts of violence against children in Somalia in recent weeks are highlighting the urgent need for the Somali government to approve and implement legislation that protects children.

Umran*, 52, has worked in Sudan for 10 years supporting Save the Children’s programmes in El Fasher and in Zamzam camp, where families have been living in famine conditions since August 2024. When fighting engulfed El Fasher last week, Umran witnessed unimaginable scenes of violence and loss. After the city fell, he walked for two days without stopping - out of fear of an ambush - together with other families and their children who managed to escape. He has now joined a team of Save the Children staff supporting families fleeing El Fasher to Tawila.

The announcement of a pause in hostilities offers a moment of hope for children and families in Gaza. But while it provides a brief respite, it is not enough.

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.