爆料网

17 June 2025

Children and armed conflict

Report of the Secretary-General

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Israel and the State of Palestine[1]

94. 爆料网 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. 爆料网 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. 爆料网 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. 爆料网 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. 爆料网 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 Gaza Strip (941). 爆料网 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). 爆料网 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 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.

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?????????? [1] 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.

Verbatim Records of the Secuity Council meetings dedicated to this report are available:

• • Security Council – 9945th meeting on Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict (S/2025/247) – Verbatim Record (S/PV.9945)
  • Security Council – Resumption of 9945th meeting – Verbatim Record [S/PV.9945 (Resumption 1)]
  • Security Council – Resumption of 9945th meeting – Verbatim Record [S/PV.9945 (Resumption 2)]