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At least 21,000 children disabled in Israeli attacks on Gaza — UN

At a press briefing in Geneva, they stated that 40,500 children in Gaza have suffered "new war-related injuries" in the nearly two years since the war began, with more than half of them left disabled

GENEVA, September 3. /TASS/. At least 21,000 children in the Gaza Strip have been disabled as a result of Israel’s actions in the Palestinian enclave since October 7, 2023, according to experts from the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

At a press briefing in Geneva, they stated that 40,500 children in Gaza have suffered "new war-related injuries" in the nearly two years since the war began, with more than half of them left disabled.

According to the committee, it has been informed of at least 157,114 injured individuals, with more than 25% at risk of facing lifelong disabilities who sustained injuries between October 7, 2023, and August 21 of this year.

Tensions erupted again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza-based Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, killing residents of border settlements and seizing hostages. In response, Israel initiated a military operation in the enclave to dismantle Hamas’ military and political structure and rescue all those kidnapped, and began delivering air strikes on targets in Lebanon and Syria.

International humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza stopped on March 2, 2025, as all border crossings remain closed under Israel’s decision.

In March, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) resumed combat in the enclave, ending the ceasefire regime established in January 2025. During several rounds of talks mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the US, the parties to the conflict were unable to determine the terms of a new agreement.

According to the latest data from the Gaza Health Ministry, the total number of Palestinians killed in the Israeli attacks has surpassed 63,000 with 161,000 wounded and 367 Palestinians, including 131 children, dying of starvation.

The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is an 18-member body of independent human rights experts that monitors the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). As of September 2025, the convention was ratified by 193 parties, including 192 countries and the EU.