Israel again included in UN blacklist for grave violations against children

Violence against children successful struggle zones reached ‘unprecedented levels’ successful 2024, with astir violations committed successful Gaza, occupied West Bank, UN says.

The United Nations has kept Israel connected its “blacklist” of countries committing abuses against children successful equipped struggle for a second consecutive year, arsenic its war connected Gaza continues for astir 20 months.

The listing connected Thursday came arsenic the UN said successful a caller study that unit against children successful struggle zones reached “unprecedented levels” successful 2024, with the highest fig of violations committed successful the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank by the Israeli army.

The yearly study connected Children successful Armed Conflict elaborate “a staggering” 25 percent surge globally successful sedate violations against children beneath the property of 18 past twelvemonth from 2023. It said it had verified 41,370 sedate violations against children, including sidesplitting and maiming, intersexual violence, and attacks connected schools and hospitals.

Among them were 8,554 sedate violations against 2,959 children – 2,944 Palestinian, 15 Israeli – successful the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel.

The fig includes confirmation of 1,259 Palestinian children killed and 941 wounded successful Gaza, which has travel nether relentless Israeli bombardment pursuing an onslaught led by the Palestinian radical Hamas successful confederate Israel connected October 7, 2023.

The Ministry of Health successful Gaza has reported overmuch higher figures, and the UN said it is presently verifying accusation connected an further 4,470 children killed successful 2024 successful the besieged territory.

The UN said it has besides verified the sidesplitting of 97 Palestinian children successful the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, wherever a full of 3,688 violations were recorded.

The study besides called retired Israel’s subject operations successful Lebanon, wherever much than 500 children were killed oregon injured past year.

UN main Antonio Guterres said helium was “appalled by the strength of sedate violations against children successful the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel”, citing the wide usage of explosive weapons successful populated areas.

Guterres besides reiterated his calls connected Israel to abide by planetary instrumentality requiring peculiar protections for children, extortion for schools and hospitals, and compliance with the request that attacks separate betwixt fighters and civilians and debar excessive harm to guiltless people.

There was nary contiguous remark by Israel’s UN mission.

The equipped helping of the Palestinian radical Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, and the al-Quds Brigades, the equipped helping of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, were besides included successful the blacklist for a 2nd time.

Following the Palestinian territory, the countries wherever the UN registered the astir unit against children successful 2024 were the Democratic Republic of the Congo (more than 4,000 sedate violations); Somalia (more than 2,500); Nigeria (nearly 2,500); and Haiti (more than 2,200).

The sharpest percent summation successful the fig of violations was recorded successful Lebanon (545 percent), followed by Mozambique (525 percent), Haiti (490 percent), Ethiopia (235 percent), and Ukraine (105 percent), it added.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies