Palestinian children face rising trauma and lethal attacks in Gaza and West Bank

The ongoing conflict in Gaza has prompted severe psychological effects among children, with medical reports documenting cases of selective mutism and developmental regression after intense bombardments and loss of family members. Families and clinicians describe a disturbing silence that reflects deep‑seated trauma caused by constant fear and lack of safe environments.

Human‑rights group B’Tselem reports that Israeli forces have killed 241 Palestinian children and adolescents in the occupied West Bank between 7 October 2023 and 28 June 2026, including 54 children in 2025 alone – the highest child‑death rate since the 1967 occupation. The organization attributes the fatalities to an expansive Israeli policy that broadens the circumstances under which soldiers may shoot, often obstructing medical aid and retaining bodies of victims. The data links the spike in West Bank killings to the broader lethal campaign that has already claimed more than 73,000 Palestinian lives in Gaza.