The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has raised the alarm over the devastating toll the ongoing military escalation in Iran is taking on children, as stated in a press release published by UNICEF. Approximately 180 children have reportedly been killed and many more injured since hostilities intensified — a figure that includes 168 girls who died when a strike hit the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab, in southern Iran, on February 28, while classes were in session. Most of the victims were between 7 and 12 years old.
The attack on the Minab school was not an isolated incident. Twelve more children were killed in strikes on schools across five other locations in Iran, bringing the total number of schools reportedly damaged to at least 20. At least 10 hospitals have also been hit, cutting off children’s access to both education and critical health services at exactly the moment they need them most.
UNICEF did not mince words in its response. The agency called the casualties “a stark reminder of the brutality of war and violence on children, which impacts families and communities for generations,” and issued an urgent call on all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law. That law is unambiguous: children and schools are protected, and must be treated as places of safety — not targets.
The broader picture is deeply troubling. As military strikes continue across the region, children are being exposed to escalating violence while the infrastructure they depend on — schools, hospitals, water systems — is being steadily destroyed. The cumulative effect goes far beyond physical injury, leaving lasting trauma on an entire generation.
UNICEF said it is closely monitoring the situation and stands ready to support humanitarian efforts for affected children and families. But monitoring and readiness can only go so far — what the agency is demanding, and what the situation requires, is an immediate and concrete commitment from all parties to stop treating civilian spaces as acceptable collateral damage.
