DaysofPal – The United Nations has kept Israel on its annual “list of shame” of countries and armed actors committing grave violations against children in conflict for the second consecutive year, citing what it called “unprecedented levels” of violence, particularly in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
In a new report published Thursday, the UN said 2024 witnessed a staggering 25 percent global increase in grave violations against children under 18 compared to the previous year, with the highest number committed by Israeli forces.
The UN verified 41,370 grave violations globally, including killings, maiming, sexual violence, and attacks on schools and hospitals. Among the worst-affected regions was the occupied Palestinian territory, where 2,944 Palestinian children were victims of grave violations.
Gaza: Epicenter of child suffering
The Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless Israeli bombardment since October 7, 2023, accounted for the vast majority of casualties. The UN verified that 1,259 Palestinian children were killed and 941 were wounded in Gaza. Another 4,470 child deaths in the besieged enclave are still under verification.
From October to December 2023 alone, 1,147 Palestinian children (666 boys and 481 girls) were maimed in Gaza, largely by Israeli airstrikes, tank shelling, and live ammunition.
“I am appalled by the intensity of grave violations against children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in the report. “Notably by the widespread use of explosive weapons in populated areas.”
Guterres added that he is “deeply concerned by the significant rise in grave violations in the Gaza Strip” and “deeply alarmed by the escalating violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.”
In the West Bank, children were maimed primarily by live ammunition (313), tear gas inhalation (168), rubber-coated bullets (20), and airstrikes (10). Israeli forces also obstructed emergency medical treatment to critically injured children on multiple occasions, the report noted.
The UN documented that 2,823 applications for permits allowing West Bank children to access specialized medical care in Israel were either denied or not approved in time, effectively denying children urgent treatment.
“I am deeply alarmed by the continued increase in grave violations against children perpetrated by Israeli armed and security forces,” Guterres wrote, citing “the high number of children killed and maimed, attacks on schools and hospitals, including ambulances and protected persons.”
Settler violence and arbitrary detention
The UN also condemned attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian children, often carried out in the presence, or with the support, of Israeli security forces. The report expressed serious concern over the “excessive use of force” by Israel during law enforcement operations, including in heavily militarized raids.
The UN chief also raised alarm over the increasing number of child detentions by Israeli authorities and “reports of physical violence directed against them during detention.” He called on Israel to uphold international juvenile justice standards and end the administrative and arbitrary detention of children.
UN calls for action plan
Guterres urged Israel to sign an action plan with the United Nations “to end and prevent the killing and maiming of children and attacks on schools and hospitals,” emphasizing that previous appeals in 2023 and 2024 had gone unanswered.
He reiterated that Israel must comply with international humanitarian and human rights law, including the principles of distinction and proportionality in armed conflict.
“I urge Israel to pursue accountability for grave violations against children,” he stated.
The UN’s findings add to growing international condemnation of what many human rights groups and legal scholars have labeled genocide in Gaza. Since October 2023, Israel, backed by the United States, has carried out a massive military assault resulting in the deaths and injuries of over 185,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
More than 11,000 people remain missing, presumed buried under rubble, while hundreds of thousands have been displaced. A UN-declared famine is also ravaging northern Gaza, claiming many more child lives due to starvation and lack of access to aid, despite multiple International Court of Justice orders demanding an end to the siege and mass violence.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=64973
