The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said today that around 180 children have been killed in US-Israeli strikes against Iran since Saturday, including 170 at a girls’ school in Minab.
The organisation’s Middle East and North Africa division said it was “deeply concerned by the lethal impact that the current military escalation in the region is having on children,” stressing that beyond the 180 deaths, “there are many more injured.”
“Among the victims were 168 girls who lost their lives during the February 28 attack on the Shajaré Tayebé primary school in Minab, during school hours,” the statement reads, specifying that the children were aged between seven and 12.
According to UNICEF, “a further 12 children died in other schools in five different locations in Iran.”
“These child victims are a stark reminder of the brutality of war and violence against children, which harms families and communities for generations,” the statement continues.
The organisation reiterated that “children and schools are protected under international humanitarian law,” stressing that these educational facilities “must be safe places.”
UNICEF also warned that “with the continuation of military strikes across the region, children are increasingly exposed to violence, and the impact on essential civilian infrastructure poses a direct threat to their wellbeing.”
“At least 20 schools and 10 hospitals have been damaged in Iran, disrupting children’s access to education and essential health services,” UNICEF observed, calling on the parties to the conflict to “fulfil their obligations” and “ensure the protection of civilians.”
Read more: Iran War has already caused 1230 deaths
The United States and Israel launched a military strike against Iran on February 28, killing ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader since 1989. The Iranian Leadership Council is currently running the country.
Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz and launched retaliatory strikes against targets in Israel, US bases and other infrastructure in countries across the region, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan, Oman and Iraq. Incidents involving Iranian projectiles were also recorded in Cyprus and Turkey.
Since the start of the conflict, more than one thousand deaths have been recorded, the majority Iranian.
