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22,495 Haunting Cries: Children Affected by Conflict Endured an Unconscionable Number of Grave Violations in 2024 |
https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/2025/06/22495-haunting-cries-children-affected-by-conflict-endured-an-unconscionable-number-of-grave-violations-in-2024/Report of the UN Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict
Armed conflict inflicted excruciating levels of violence on children in 2024, according to a new report of the UN Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict published today.
With 41,370 incidents, the highest number
of grave violations against children in armed conflict since the
inception of the Children and Armed Conflict mandate almost 30 years ago
was verified in 2024. This marks a 25% increase compared to 2023 and
the third consecutive year with alarming figures. Indiscriminate
attacks, disregard for ceasefires and peace agreements, and deepening
humanitarian crises, with a blatant disregard for international law and
the rights and special protections of children by all parties to
conflict, severely weakened the protection of children in hostilities.
Conflicts raging across the globe kill, maim, starve, or rape children.
Countries with the highest levels of
violations in 2024 were Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory,
notably the Gaza Strip, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),
Somalia, Nigeria, and Haiti.
“The cries of 22,495 innocent children who
should be learning to read or play ball − but instead have been forced
to learn how to survive gunfire and bombings − should keep all of us
awake at night,” said the Special Representative of the UN
Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba. “This
must serve as a wake-up call. We are at the point of no return. I call
on the international community to recommit to the universal consensus to
protect children from armed conflict, and on parties to conflict to
immediately end the war on children and to uphold the core principles of
International Humanitarian Law that impose limits on the destruction
and suffering caused by armed conflict: humanity, distinction,
proportionality and necessity,” she added.... READ MORE
or skip ahead to read the PDF
pages 11 - 14
Israel and the State of Palestine5
__________________
5 For the purposes of the present report, the present section provides information on grave
violations in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and Israel
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94. The United Nations verified 8,554 grave violations against 2,959 children
(1,925 boys, 1,034 girls; Israeli children (15), Palestinian children (2,944)) in Israel
(10); and in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (8,544) (West Bank, including East
Jerusalem (3,688); and in the Gaza Strip (4,856)). In addition, 2,789 grave violations
that occurred in 2023 in the Gaza Strip (2,788) and in Israel (1) were verified. In
addition, the United Nations received reports of the killing of 4,470 children in the
Gaza Strip in 2024, which are pending verification.
95. Verified grave violations were attributed to Israeli armed and security forces
(7,188), unidentified perpetrators (43), Israeli settlers (42), individual Palestinian
perpetrators (11), Palestinian Authority Security Forces (7), Hizbullah (3) and the
armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran (1). In addition, the process of attribution
of responsibility relating to 1,259 verified violations is ongoing.
96. The United Nations verified the killing of 3 Israeli boys in the West Bank in
attacks by individual Palestinian perpetrators. In addition, the killing of two Israeli
boys that occurred in 2023 in the Gaza Strip, who had been abducted by
al-Mujahideen Brigades and Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, was verified.
97. A total of 12 Israeli children (10 boys, 2 girls) were maimed in the West Bank,
including East Jerusalem (4), and in Israel (8) by individual Palestinian perpetrators
(8); by Hizbullah (3); and by shrapnel (1), when the Israeli armed forces intercepted
missiles launched by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
98. Two attacks on schools in Israel were attributed to the armed forces of the
Islamic Republic of Iran (1) and to shrapnel (1) when the Israeli armed forces
intercepted missiles launched by the Houthis (who call themselves Ansar Allah).
99. The United Nations verified the use of 27 Palestinian boys by Israeli armed and
security forces as human shields during operations in the West Bank (5) and in the
Gaza Strip (22). There are reports of the use of human shields by Hamas’ Izz al-Din
al-Qassam Brigades and other Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip.
100. The United Nations verified the detention of 951 Palestinian children (940 boys,
11 girls) for alleged security offences by Israeli armed and security forces in the West
Bank (602), in East Jerusalem (259) and the Gaza Strip (90), including the detention
by Israeli armed and security forces of a Palestinian girl whose whereabouts remain
unknown. Israeli authorities reported that 112 Palestinian children were held under
administrative detention, without charge or trial as at 31 December 2024, in addition
to 25 children transferred to Israel from the Gaza Strip and detained under the
“unlawful combatant” designation.
101. The United Nations verified the killing of 97 Palestinian children (92 boys,
5 girls) in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In the Gaza Strip, the United
Nations verified the killing of 1,259 Palestinian children (662 boys, 597 girls) and the
process of attribution is ongoing. Of the total (1,356), 754 were boys and 602 were
girls. In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the United Nations verified the
killing of Palestinian children attributed to Israeli armed and security forces (90,
including as a result of live ammunition (70) and air strikes (20)), Palestinian
Authority Security Forces (2), Israeli settlers (1) and unidentified perpetrators (4) (as
a result of unexploded ordnance (1), crossfire between Palestinian Authority Security
Forces and armed Palestinians (2) and simultaneous fire by Israeli forces and Israeli
settlers (1)). Further, the killing of 1,637 children (794 boys, 843 girls) between
October and December 2023 was verified. Most incidents were caused by the use of
explosive weapons in populated areas by Israeli armed and security forces.
102. A total of 1,561 Palestinian children (1,131 boys, 430 girls) were verified as
having been maimed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (620), and in the
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Gaza Strip (941). The United Nations verified maiming attributed to Israeli armed
and security forces (1,507), Israeli settlers (35), unidentified perpetrators (15)
(including as a result of unexploded ordnance (3), simultaneous gunfire by Israeli
armed and security forces and Israeli settlers (4)) and Palestinian Authority Security
Forces (4). In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, most children were maimed
by live ammunition (313), teargas inhalation (168), rubber-coated metal bullets (20)
and air strikes (10). In Gaza, most children were maimed by Israeli armed and security
forces air strikes (787), tank shelling (84) and live ammunition (57). In addition, the
United Nations verified that 1,147 Palestinian children (666 boys, 481 girls) were
maimed between October and December 2023 in the Gaza Strip, by Israeli armed and
security forces (1,123) and unidentified perpetrators (24).
103. Attacks on 502 schools (148) and hospitals (354), including on protected
persons in relation to schools and/or hospitals (110), and on ambulances (41), were
attributed to Israeli armed and security forces (473); unidentified perpetrators (22);
Israeli settlers (6); and Palestinian Authority Security Forces (1) in the West Bank,
including East Jerusalem (131), and in the Gaza Strip (371). The United Nations
verified 13 military uses of schools (8) and health facilities (5), including ambulances
(1), by Israeli armed and security forces (10), Palestinian Authority Security Forces
(1), armed Palestinians (1) and Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (1). Schools
in the Gaza Strip have remained closed since 7 October 2023.
104. The denial of humanitarian access by Israeli armed and security forces (5,091)
was verified in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (2,828) and in the Gaza Strip
(2,263). In the Gaza Strip, the United Nations verified 2,263 denials of humanitarian
access by Israeli authorities related to the coordination of humanitarian aid missions
being denied (1,262) or access being impeded (1,001) by Israeli authorities, out of
5,321 planned missions. In the context of Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip,
humanitarian personnel were killed, including at least 280 United Nations personnel
since 7 October 2023. On some occasions, Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades and
other Palestinian armed groups also shelled crossings and checkpoints and obstructed
roads that are proximate to or co-located with Israeli military positions that were used
to deliver humanitarian aid. In the West Bank, Israeli armed and security forces
delayed or obstructed medical care to critically injured children (5). In addition, 2,823
permit applications (1,600 for boys, 1,223 for girls) to Israeli authorities for children
from the West Bank to gain access to specialized medical treatment were denied or
not approved in time to reach scheduled hospital appointments, while 5,327
applications were approved.
Developments and concerns
105. I am appalled by the intensity of grave violations against children in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, notably by the widespread use of explosive
weapons in populated areas. I am deeply concerned by the significant rise in grave
violations in the Gaza Strip, and I am deeply alarmed by the escalating violence in
the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
106. I am deeply alarmed by the continued increase in grave violations against
children perpetrated by Israeli armed and security forces, notably the high number of
children killed and maimed, attacks on schools and hospitals, including ambulances
and protected persons in relation to schools and/or hospitals, and the denial of
humanitarian access. I reiterate my calls upon Israel to abide by international
humanitarian law and international human rights law, including its obligations to
respect the special protections afforded to children, to protect schools and hospitals
and to comply with the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions in
attacks, and to refrain from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, including
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in air strikes. I urge Israel to pursue accountability for grave violations against
children.
107. I am alarmed by the attacks carried out by Israeli settlers against Palestinian
children, including in proximity to, and with the support of, Israeli security forces. I
reiterate my grave concern regarding the continued excessive use of force during law
enforcement operations, including increasingly militarized operations, in the West
Bank, including East Jerusalem, and reiterate that security forces must exercise
maximum restraint and use intentional lethal force only when it is strictly unavoidable
as a measure of last resort. I am alarmed by the continued increase in the number of
children detained by Israel and by reports of physical violence directed against them
during detention. I call upon Israel to uphold international juvenile justice standards,
and to end the administrative and other arbitrary detention of children.
108. I urge Israel to develop and sign an action plan with the United Nations to end
and prevent the killing and maiming of children and attacks on schools and hospitals,
on the basis of the letters addressed by my Special Representative to Israel in 2023
and 2024, including clear, time-bound commitments to end and prevent grave
violations against children, as proposed by the United Nations.
109. I call upon Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades and other Palestinian armed
groups to release unconditionally all hostages, alive or dead, in a dignified manner
and to facilitate access for humanitarian actors. I am shocked by reports that children
held hostage were subjected to violence. I call upon Palestinian armed groups to
protect schools and hospitals, including protected persons in relation to schools and/or
hospitals, and refrain from using them for military purposes.
110. I call upon all Palestinian armed groups to abide by their obligations under
international humanitarian law and international human rights law, to respect the
special protections afforded to children, to cease attacks that target civilians,
including children, and to cease indiscriminate attacks from densely populated areas
in the Gaza Strip towards Israeli civilian population centres. I further call upon
Palestinian armed groups to facilitate access for humanitarian actors. I call upon
Hamas and Hizbullah, as well as the Houthis, to cease their indiscriminate attacks on
Israeli population centres. I call upon the Islamic Republic of Iran to abide by its
obligations under international humanitarian law and human rights law and to cease
attacks that affect civilians, including children.
111. I urge Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades and affiliated factions, and
Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades to develop and sign action plans with
the United Nations to end and prevent the killing and maiming and abduction of
children, on the basis of the letters previously addressed by my Special Representative
to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in 2024, including clear, time-bound
commitments to end and prevent grave violations against children, as proposed by the
United Nations.
112. I condemn attacks against humanitarian operations, premises and workers,
including the killing of humanitarian personnel. I call upon Israel to ensure that
assistance reaches those who need it, and to allow and facilitate full, rapid, safe and
unhindered access for humanitarian aid and personnel into and within the Gaza Strip.
https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Secretary-General-Annual-Report-on-Children-and-Armed-Conflict-Covering-2024.pdf
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