Country: occupied Palestinian territory Source: UN Children’s Fund Please refer to the attached file. CHILDHOOD UNDER PRESSURE: SAFETY IS SEVERELY COMPROMISED AS VIOLENCE, DISPLACEMENT AND ACCESS RESTRICTIONS INTENSIFY ACROSS THE WEST BANK West Bank Situation Update, including East Jerusalem • Strain on essential services for children: Across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, more than 800,000 people require health and WASH assistance – roughly one in four residents – particularly in Area C and the Jordan Valley, where displacement, movement restrictions and settler violence continue to severely constrain access to safe water and sanitation. Over 150,000 children face barriers to safe and continuous education due to insecurity, movement restrictions and damage to infrastructure. Access constraints and economic impediments are weakening already fragile systems which children rely on for survival and development. • Deepening psychosocial and child protection needs: Continuous exposure to militarised operations, other conflict-related violence including settler violence, displacement and intimidation is driving high levels of psychological distress among children, with partners reporting extreme fear, sleep disturbances, behaviour changes and other symptoms associated with anxiety and forms of traumatic stress. Needs for child protection and mental health and psychosocial support significantly exceed available services, especially in high-risk areas of the West Bank. • Displacement, movement restrictions, and demolition-driven instability: So far in 2026, two-thirds of displacement incidents linked to settler attacks and access restrictions occurred in the Jordan Valley, disproportionately affecting herding and rural communities. Approximately 12,000 children from three refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates remain displaced for more than a year with no concrete prospect for return, while hundreds of homes in the camps have been demolished. Children across the West Bank face daily movement restrictions and coercive measures that disrupt their access to services, particularly Education. More than 220 households are at risk of displacement from pending eviction and demolition orders in Silwan neighbourhood in East Jerusalem. Demolitions, evictions and repeated settler attacks continue to uproot children from their homes, schools and services, deepening instability and distress. • Grave violations, detention, and other conflict-related violence impacting children, primarily boys: Between 1 January and 30 April 2026, 13 Palestinian children (13 boys) were killed and over 139 injured (126 boys, 13 girls) in the West Bank including East Jerusalem, with over one-third of injuries due to live ammunition during militarised operations and settler-related violence. Nearly 350 children from the West Bank are held in military detention, subject to violence, ill-treatment and harsh detention conditions; only 7 per cent have been convicted of any crime and half (49 per cent) are held under administrative detention orders, without charges or any trial. Since October 2023, violence against children has reached levels unseen in decades, marked by unprecedented killings, injuries, and arbitrary detention. Impact on Children and Families Children across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are growing up in an environment shaped by unpredictable violence and constant insecurity. Militarised operations, detention, and settler violence expose children to direct, continuous violence and fear at home, at school and in their communities – spaces that should offer safety. Parents and communities are left with the feeling that their children cannot be protected. Displacement and movement restrictions have severely disrupted the daily lives of children and their families. When homes are demolished or communities forcibly displaced, families lose not only shelter and livelihoods but also access to education and health care. Parents report struggling to keep children in learning as routes to school become unsafe or schooling is repeatedly disrupted. In addition, economic pressure and loss of income force families to make impossible choices – cutting back on food, delaying medical care or withdrawing children from education so they can support households coping with daily survival. The psychological toll on children and their families is profound. Repeated exposure to violence, raids and displacement is driving persistent distress. Caregivers report changes in behaviour, sleep disturbances and heightened fear, while adolescents face growing risks of school avoidance, withdrawal and harmful coping mechanisms. Without timely protection and mental health and psychosocial support, children may be at risk of lifelong difficulties with mental health and wellbeing.