Hospitals in the besieged Gaza Strip received the body of one Palestinian who died from his wounds and treated five others injured over the past 24 hours, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Thursday. Medical sources in Gaza reported that more than 58,000 chickenpox infections have been recorded since the beginning of the year, describing a rapidly expanding outbreak driven by catastrophic humanitarian conditions.
Severe overcrowding in displacement shelters, contaminated water sources, the collapse of sanitation systems, and a critical shortage of hygiene supplies have accelerated the spread of infectious diseases and increased health risks for civilians across the Strip.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said Thursday that at least 300 children in Gaza have been killed in the 300 days since the ceasefire was announced in October 2025, despite commitments to suspend military operations and allow the full entry of humanitarian and relief aid.
Edward Beigbeder, UNICEF’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said a ceasefire that “results, on average, in the killing of one child every day is failing children.”
He added that hundreds more children have been injured, most with severe wounds, and that Gaza’s children are still waiting for “the end to violence they were promised.”
Beigbeder noted that recent statements outline a roadmap for the next phase of the ceasefire, including steps toward ending hostilities and expanding humanitarian assistance, offering “new hope and a chance to stop the killing of children.”
He stressed that children have heard promises before, and that “this time, agreements must translate into action.”
My children are getting weaker every day. A severe virus has spread through their bodies, and we have no medicine or antibiotics to treat them. They need urgent medical care. Please stand by our side. They are just little children and cannot endure this suffering. 💔🙏 pic.twitter.com/xGrj2RNJSy
— hnan in gaza (@YacoubAmer95351) August 6, 2026
UNICEF called on all parties to fulfill their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights law, emphasizing the need to protect children and ensure their access to essential goods and services such as health care, education, safe water, and food.
UNICEF urged that humanitarian aid be allowed to reach children in need safely, rapidly, and without obstruction.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said in its daily update that, since the declared ceasefire on October 11, 2025, Israeli forces have killed 1,255 Palestinians and injured 4,125, while 806 bodies have been recovered from beneath the rubble.
Since the beginning of the genocide in Gaza on October 7, 2023, the cumulative toll has reached 73,382 Palestinians killed and 174,236 injured, according to the Health Ministry.
The ministry added that many victims remain under rubble and on roads because ambulance and civil defense crews are still unable to reach several areas amid the collapse of emergency services and widespread destruction.
