Geneva, Jul. 22, (dpa/GNA) – At least 143 Palestinian children and young people have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem over the past nine months, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Monday.

UNICEF said that marks a 250% rise compared to the preceding nine months, when 41 Palestinian children were killed.

Two Israeli children have been killed in the West Bank in conflict-related violence in the past nine months.

UNICEF also said 440 young Palestinians have been injured by live ammunition.

“For years now, children living in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have been exposed to horrific violence,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

“The situation has deteriorated significantly, coinciding with the escalation of hostilities inside Gaza. We are seeing frequent allegations of Palestinian children being detained on their way home from school, or shot while walking on the streets. The violence needs to stop now.”

The situation in the West Bank has worsened dramatically since the start of the Gaza war, which broke out in response to the Hamas massacre in southern Israel on October 7.

Since then, more than 550 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations, confrontations or as a result of their own attacks in the West Bank, according to health officials.

Violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians has also increased during this period.

GNA