UNICEF Statement on hostilities in the Middle East

NEW YORK, 7 April 2026 – “Children in Iran and across the region are exposed to physical harm and psychological distress, alongside attacks and rising threats to the essential infrastructure upon which their survival depends.

“Across Iran, children are already bearing the brunt of conflict. The cumulative impact of ongoing strikes, instability, and disruption to essential services is affecting their immediate safety, long-term health, development, and well-being. Children have been killed, injured, and displaced, living in a state of fear and uncertainty. Schools, homes, and communities that should provide safety and stability are affected.

“Hospitals and medical services are under increasing strain, with disruptions affecting the delivery of critical care. Damage to 442 health facilities across the country is disrupting access to essential healthcare for an estimated 10 million people, including 2.2 million children, according to the Ministry of Health in Iran and the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS).

“The Pasteur Institute has sustained extensive damage. For decades, it has served as the country’s primary vaccine production center, and the damage has halted vaccine production, placing children at risk of losing access to life-saving vaccines. Meanwhile, the complete destruction of Tofigh Darou, a key pharmaceutical producer of medicines for complex and chronic conditions, including cancer, has led to acute shortages of life-saving treatments, placing patients, including children, at immediate risk.

“Over 760 schools have reportedly been destroyed or damaged, leaving many children killed and injured. This includes the devastating missile strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh School in Iran during the first day of the war, killing 168 girls and boys.

“Children all across the region are suffering from this conflict. Attacks across multiple countries are destroying lives and damaging the facilities and infrastructure that children depend on – including hospitals, schools, and water and sanitation systems. Children have also been killed or injured in Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait and Lebanon.

“International humanitarian law strictly prohibits attacking civilian infrastructure indispensable for the survival of children. Damage to water and sanitation systems would expose children to heightened risk of diseases, power outages would further impact critical services, including those that support newborn and vulnerable children, and miscalculations related to nuclear facilities could cause irreversible consequences for generations.

“UNICEF reiterates its call for an immediate cessation of hostilities across the region and genuine de-escalation. All parties must exercise maximum restraint and uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law. Civilian infrastructure must be protected, and children must be always safeguarded.

“The cost of further escalation will ultimately be measured in the lives and futures of children who deserve protection, dignity, and hope, not the deepening consequences of a conflict they did not choose."