UN condemns spike in violence against children in Gaza

The United Nations has issued a warning about a record rise in violence against children in conflict zones including Gaza, Middle East Eye reported on June 20th.

The United Nations declared in its annual report that over 8,500 serious offenses against Palestinian children happened last year, mostly by Israel’s troops. Over 4,800 of these offenses were solely carried out in the Gaza Strip.

The organisation confirmed 1,259 deaths of Palestinian children in Gaza. However, 4,470 reported child deaths remain unverified and are currently under investigation.

The occupied West Bank has also seen a rise in violence, with rights organisations recording more military raids, home destructions, and settler assaults since the Gaza war started.

On June 18th, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory stated: “We are horrified at the repeated incidents, continuously reported in recent days across Gaza, and we call for an immediate end to these senseless killings.”

Earlier this month, on June 4th, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, sharply condemned Gaza’s severe crisis. He called the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza a result of “deliberate choices” that deny civilians survival essentials. His statement followed a series of fatal incidents near aid distribution points in the war-torn enclave, Maghrebi reported.

According to Asharq-Al-Awsat, Fletcher also said: “The world is watching, day after day, horrifying scenes of Palestinians being shot, wounded or killed in Gaza while simply trying to eat.”

His remarks came amid rising global outrage after Israeli forces killed 27 Palestinians on June 3rd. The Israeli forces had reportedly fired near a food aid centre run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

Middle East Eye, United Nations, Asharq-Al-Awsat, Maghrebi.org