Five children a day killed or injured by explosives around world – as AI and drones increase threat

The growing use of drones and artificial intelligence in conflict is exposing children to new threats at a time when more than five a day are already being killed or injured by explosives around the world.

Children accounted for nearly half of civilian casualties from landmines and explosive remnants of war between 2020 and 2025, according to new research by Save the Children (StC). More than 12,000 were killed or injured.

Now rapidly evolving military technology is changing civilian exposure to conflict at a time when rights groups say the international norms designed to protect children and their families are being weakened.

Air-launched explosives, including from attack drones, accounted for around two-thirds of incidents of civilian harm last year globally, with health workers carrying out medical procedures by phone light to avoid attracting their attention, StC said.

In Ukraine , drone attacks on schools increased by 358 per cent last year, while drone attacks accounted for the vast majority of child casualties in Sudan in the first months of this year.

Khaleel, 10, was playing football near a school in Gaza when the ball rolled into an area containing an explosive remnant of war. When he went to retrieve it, an explosion left him with shrapnel wounds to his face, both eyes and one ear.

He has since suffered severe vision loss, persistent pain and hearing problems, and struggles to read the board at school or play with other children.

“Seeing him covered in blood and unable to open his eyes was one of the most painful moments of my life. He is my only son after many years of waiting and watching him suffer has been devastating.” his mother, Mona, 42, said.

StC also highlighted Gaza as an example of a new phase in modern warfare, in which drone surveillance, AI-supported targeting and other unmanned systems are being used at an alarming scale in densely populated areas.

AI technology has already changed how wars are fought, bringing the time it takes to identify targets for tens of minutes to in some cases seconds. Its growing use in warfare also raises concerns about how decisions to use force are being made, particularly when children and other civilians are present.

In a report published on Thursday, the UN’s top human rights body said they have found “reasonable grounds” to believe the US committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran, including on a school in Minab , that killed at least 177 civilians. US officials have previously confirmed that AI was used during the operation to process intelligence and assist analysts in identifying targets. The US department of defense has investigations ongoing into the incidents, but the US has denied committing war crimes.