UNICEF: More than 7 million Syrian children in need of humanitarian assistance

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) revealed in its eleventh humanitarian report on Syria that 7.4 million children are in need of humanitarian assistance out of a total of 16.7 million people in the country. The report highlighted that more than 1000 casualties have been reported due to unexploded ordnance since December 2024, with one-third of them being children.

The organization, in a report covering the period from 1 to 31 May 2025, indicated that over 1.1 million people have returned to their areas since the end of 2024, most of them in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib. Meanwhile, the number of new displaced persons has decreased, with the report confirming that the return of residents has increased pressure on the already exhausted infrastructure and humanitarian services.

UNICEF noted that its interventions have reached more than 4.2 million people since the beginning of the year, with 53% of them being children. Efforts have been focused on areas with severe humanitarian needs, including services related to health, nutrition, education, water, protection, and cash transfers.

In the health sector, UNICEF teams provided over 185,000 medical consultations in May alone, in addition to supporting vaccination and nutrition programs. Thousands of severe malnutrition cases among children have been recorded, especially in coastal areas.

In terms of protection, support has been provided to over 100,000 children through programs for psychological support, awareness of mine risks, and protection of children from violence. New protection centers have also been opened in Banias and coastal villages.