Explosive weapons caused record child casualties worldwide, Save the Children reports

Nearly 12,000 children were killed or injured in conflicts around the world last year, according to a report by the UK-based charity Save the Children. The organisation said 70 percent of these casualties resulted from explosive weapons, with Gaza suffering the heaviest toll.

The report, ‘Children and Blast Injuries’, highlights that conflicts in urban areas are putting children at higher risk, striking homes, schools, and hospitals. Save the Children noted that Gaza now has the largest cohort of child amputees in modern history.

In Gaza alone, the use of explosive weapons left an average of 475 children each month with potentially lifelong injuries such as amputations, burns, and complex fractures. The report also cited rising casualties in Sudan, Ukraine, Myanmar, and the occupied Palestinian territories.

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Experts warned that children’s smaller bodies and developing organs make blast injuries more severe, and recovery is often prolonged. The report stressed the lasting physical and psychological impacts of explosive weapons, calling for global attention to the protection of children in conflict zones.