Since the announcement of a ceasefire in October, the reality for Gaza’s youngest residents has remained lethal. Available records indicate that more than one hundred children have been killed since early autumn, roughly one every day, a figure widely believed to fall short of the true toll as many deaths go unrecorded amid displacement and destruction. What is presented internationally as restraint would elsewhere be recognised as an ongoing humanitarian emergency, unfolding against the backdrop of a genocidal war that has reshaped daily life for an entire generation.

Although the pace of bombardment has slowed, it has not stopped. Children continue to be killed by air strikes, drone attacks, tank fire and live ammunition, even as families attempt to survive among torn tents and flooded shelters. Winter has compounded the danger. Freezing winds and relentless rain have swept through makeshift camps, claiming the lives of children exposed to the cold, while soaked bedding and the absence of heating have turned survival into a daily gamble.

Beyond the violence itself, Gaza remains choked by severe restrictions on essential goods. Shortages of medicine, fuel, cooking gas and equipment for water and sanitation systems persist, while critically needed medical evacuations for children remain largely frozen. The psychological toll is equally devastating: children live with constant fear, untreated trauma and injuries that will mark them for life. A ceasefire that merely slows killing, many warn, cannot be considered sufficient while children continue to die under its shadow.