Nearly 12,000 children were killed or injured in conflicts worldwide last year, of which 70 percent were a result of explosives, the United Kingdom-based charity Save the Children has said, with those in Gaza suffering the most from Israeli attacks.This was the highest number since records began in 2006 and was up by 42 percent on the 2020 total, the group said in a new report published on Thursday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listExplosive weapons killed or injured children at record levels last year, as wars increasingly move into urban areas, the report, called Children and Blast Injuries, revealed.“The world is witnessing the deliberate destruction of childhood – and the evidence is undeniable,” said Narmina Strishenets, senior conflict and humanitarian advocacy adviser at Save the Children UK.“Children are paying the highest price in today’s wars … Missiles are falling where children sleep, play and learn – turning the very places that should be the safest, like their homes and schools, into death traps.” Injured Palestinians, including children, are taken to hospital after an Israeli air strike – despite a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip [File: Fadel A A Almaghari/Anadolu Agency]Previously, children in war zones were more likely to die from malnutrition, disease or failing health systems.But as conflicts take place more frequently in urban areas, children are being caught up as bombs and drones strike hospitals, schools and residential areas, Save the Children said.“Actions once condemned by the international community and met with global outrage are now brushed aside as the ‘cost of war.’ Tha …
