200 children have been killed so far due to the Iran war - UNICEF

Due to the American and Israeli military attacks against Iran, which began in late February and the first week of March 2026, a large number of civilians, including children, have lost their lives. According to reports released by UNICEF in early March 2026, nearly 200 children have been killed as a result of the escalating conflicts across the Middle East region since the weekend.

The highest number of child deaths in this tragedy, approximately 181, have been reported from Iran. Additionally, 7 children in Lebanon, 3 children in Israel, and one child in Kuwait have also been confirmed dead in these attacks. UNICEF states that "children never start wars, yet they have had to pay an unacceptably high price for them," emphasizing that the escalating war situation across the Middle East has already had an extremely devastating impact on children.

The primary reason for this high death toll is the attacks targeting civilian infrastructure. A prime example of this is the massive attack on the 'Shajareh Tayyebeh' Girls' Primary School in Minab city, Hormozgan province, Southern Iran. According to various reports citing United Nations and Iranian sources, between 160 and 168 schoolgirls were killed in that single attack alone.

UNICEF expresses deep concern over such attacks on schools and other civilian sites, urging all parties to immediately cease hostilities and take steps to protect children and civilian infrastructure under international law. They have highlighted the urgent need to prevent the escalation of conflicts to avert further devastating impacts on millions of children living in the region. Meanwhile, other organizations like Save the Children have echoed these warnings, stating that nearly 200 children have died within the first few days of the conflict, and this situation has directly affected over 100 million children across several countries.

All these statistics are based on currently available reports, and as information verification is ongoing amidst the continuous conflicts, these data may change in the future. Nevertheless, UNICEF strongly emphasizes that all parties must prioritize child protection and immediately end this violence.