DaysofPal- The Palestinian NGO Network has called on the United Nations, along with relevant human rights and humanitarian organizations, to urgently intervene to protect Palestinian children, particularly in the Gaza Strip, amid an unprecedented genocidal war by Israeli occupation.
In a statement issued Thursday to mark World Children’s Day, observed annually on 20 November, the network revealed alarming official statistics showing that more than 19,000 Palestinian children have been killed since 7 October 2023, with over 28,000 others injured.
The network added that hundreds of schools, kindergartens, and childcare centers, especially in Gaza, have been completely or partially destroyed, while more than 56,000 children have been orphaned, having lost one or both parents.
The statement emphasized that World Children’s Day was established to promote dignity, justice, and the protection of children as one of the most vulnerable groups in society, ensuring their fundamental rights to life, education, healthcare, and protection from all forms of violence.
However, the NGOs said that “Palestinian children are subjected to every form of violation and crime by the Israeli occupation,” including deliberate acts amounting to genocide, as well as the detention of hundreds of minors in Israeli prisons.
The network urged international bodies to enforce international law concerning genocide crimes committed against Palestinian children, hold Israeli leaders accountable, and take immediate action to save children’s lives.
It further called for the provision of medical treatment, evacuation of critical cases for care abroad, and the entry of essential food and medicine into Gaza, where children face severe and worsening humanitarian conditions.
Additionally, the network appealed to international and humanitarian organizations to prioritize children and other vulnerable groups in all recovery programs, emergency plans, and response efforts.
It stressed the need for expanded psychological and social support services, as well as formal and community-based protection programs, grounded in principles of justice, equality, and non-discrimination of any kind.
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