A United Nations committee has issued a damning report accusing Israel of committing “serious violations” of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in its ongoing military campaign in Gaza. The UN Child Rights Committee highlighted the devastating impact of Israel’s actions on children in the occupied Palestinian territories, describing the situation as one of the darkest moments in history for child rights.
The findings come at a time of intense conflict, with Israeli forces conducting near-daily strikes on Gaza, which have resulted in widespread death, displacement, and destruction. Since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, over 41,272 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including at least 11,355 children, according to local health authorities. Thousands more have been injured, and many remain missing under the rubble of bombed civilian infrastructure.
The UN report paints a harrowing picture of the toll the conflict has taken on children in Gaza. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 34,344 Palestinians, including 11,355 children, have been killed as of August 31. The numbers continue to rise as Israeli forces press on with their military campaign. The UN Child Rights Committee noted that more than a million children in Gaza have been displaced, with 21,000 children missing and 20,000 having lost one or both parents.
The report is scathing in its assessment of the destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure, which has compounded the humanitarian crisis. The committee cited the destruction of hospitals, schools, and refugee camps as major concerns, emphasizing how these attacks have deprived children of essential services like healthcare and education. Many of Gaza’s displaced children face severe malnutrition, with dozens already reported dead due to lack of food and healthcare.
“The committee is gravely concerned about the outrageously high number of children in Gaza who continue to be killed, maimed, injured, missing, displaced, orphaned, and subjected to famine, malnutrition, and disease,” the report states. It also highlighted the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas, which has led to widespread devastation and further restricted humanitarian access.
Israel, which ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991, has denied that the treaty applies to its actions in Gaza and the West Bank. During a series of UN hearings in Geneva in early September, Israeli officials argued that the treaty was not designed to apply to areas outside a state’s national territory, particularly in conflict zones. They maintained that international humanitarian law governs their military operations in Gaza and that their actions are aimed at eliminating Hamas, which they accuse of hiding among civilians.
In a statement issued by its diplomatic mission in Geneva, Israel accused the UN committee of pursuing a “politically-driven agenda.” The Israeli government contended that its military campaign targets Hamas and does not deliberately harm civilians. It also pointed to the cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and 250 taken hostage, as justification for its ongoing operations.
However, the UN Child Rights Committee rejected Israel’s position, emphasizing that the convention applies to all children under a state’s effective control, regardless of geographic location. The committee cited a July advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ruled that international human rights instruments, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, are applicable in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The humanitarian impact on Gaza’s children is staggering. Over a million children have been displaced, and many have been forced to move multiple times as Israeli strikes continue. Thousands of children are now orphaned, and more than 17,000 children remain separated from their families. The destruction of essential infrastructure, including hospitals and schools, has exacerbated the crisis, leaving many children without access to basic services.
The report also highlights the dire situation in Gaza’s healthcare system, which has been crippled by the ongoing conflict. Children are suffering from malnutrition, and thousands are at risk of death due to a lack of food and medical care. The blockade of humanitarian aid has made it nearly impossible for medical supplies to reach the injured, with the UN warning that the situation could lead to even more child fatalities in the coming weeks.
Bragi Guðbrandsson, vice chair of the UN Child Rights Committee, expressed shock at the scale of the violations. “The outrageous death of children is almost historically unique. This is an extremely dark place in history,” he said. Guðbrandsson also criticized Israel for failing to take measures to protect children during its military operations. “I don’t think we can identify any measure that was taken to save children’s lives in this military operation in Gaza.”
The UN Child Rights Committee has called for urgent international action to protect children in Gaza. The report urges Israel to provide immediate assistance to the thousands of children who have been maimed or injured and to support orphans and displaced families. It also calls for greater humanitarian access to allow medical evacuations and the delivery of food and medical supplies to the enclave.
The committee’s chair, Anne Skelton, emphasized the need for a cease-fire as the only realistic way to protect children’s rights in the conflict. “The only real way to serve children’s rights in this situation is a cease-fire,” Skelton said, arguing that ongoing military actions only deepen the crisis for Gaza’s children.
However, despite mounting international pressure, Israel has shown no signs of halting its campaign. Fears of a broader regional conflict have grown, particularly as Israeli strikes have targeted sites in Lebanon, which officials say are connected to Hezbollah.
The UN Child Rights Committee’s findings follow a June decision by UN Secretary-General António Guterres to add Israel to the “List of Shame,” a designation for countries that kill or injure children in armed conflicts. This decision was met with outrage from Israeli officials, but human rights advocates praised it as a long-overdue acknowledgment of the humanitarian toll in Gaza.
As the ICJ takes up a genocide case against Israel and international legal scrutiny intensifies, the UN report adds to the growing calls for accountability. Human rights organizations continue to urge the global community to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law, particularly those affecting children.
The UN Child Rights Committee’s report lays bare the devastating toll Israel’s military actions have taken on Gaza’s children. With over 11,000 children dead, countless others displaced, and essential infrastructure destroyed, the situation represents one of the gravest violations of child rights in recent history.
As Guðbrandsson said, “The outrageous death of children is almost historically unique. This is an extremely dark place in history.”
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