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\u201cThe evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli security forces,\u201d said Srinivasan Muralidhar, chair of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.<\/p>\n
The report refers to the period following Hamas\u2019 invasion of Israel in late 2023, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and 250 taken hostage, and the subsequent war Israel waged against Gaza that has to date killed more than 70,000 Palestinians in the besieged and occupied territory.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven after the October 2025 ceasefire, children continue to be killed and seriously injured, with continued disregard by Israel for the ceasefire and for the protection owed to Palestinian children under international law,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Last year, the commission concluded that \u201cIsrael had committed genocide against the Palestinian group in the Gaza Strip, found that the intense scale and systematic nature of the Israeli military operations have continued, resulting in unprecedented death, injury and trauma of Palestinian children.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here are some findings in the commission\u2019s latest report:<\/p>\n
The latest report, \u201cThe essence of childhood has been destroyed\u201d: Israel\u2019s deliberate targeting of Palestinian children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since 7 October 2023<\/em>, contains testimonies describing deliberate targeting and killing.<\/p>\n \u201cThere can be no doubt in anyone who reads today\u2019s report that every international legal norm has been violated by the actions of the Israeli authorities towards Palestinian children and they need to be held accountable,\u201d Commissioner Chris Sidoti said at a press conference in Geneva, citing cases from the report.<\/p>\n In one instance, a 14-year-old boy was shot by an Israeli military patrol as he was leaving his house, Mr. Sidoti said, explaining that the patrol had been in the area, but at the time there had been no fighting taking place.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was shot, badly injured and was lying on the ground,\u201d Mr. Sidoti continued. \u201cHe was surrounded by a company of Israeli soldiers who were chatting and probably some of them smoking, over a period of 45 minutes, while this 14-year-old boy bled to death.\u201d<\/p>\n Also highlighted in the report was the widespread devastation of critical infrastructure that served children. Israel\u2019s targeting of neonatal and maternity care centres in Gaza have directly harmed the survival of newborns and Palestinians\u2019 reproductive future.<\/p>\n In addition, starvation imposed by Israel through blockade and siege have further caused the death of Palestinian children and severely impacted the health of many others.<\/p>\n Dismantling and destruction of orphanages and education facilities in Gaza and the West Bank have obstructed cognitive, social and emotional care and development and disrupted the foundations of Palestinian society, the report stated.<\/p>\n Palestinian children have suffered immense psychological harm, having been stripped of any sense of safety and future, according to the report. Such mental harm is an intergenerational condition, producing a distinctive \u201coccupied psyche\u201d in which the freedom to play, imagine, hope and develop an identity has been eroded.<\/p>\n \u201cEven if the bombs and guns fall silent in Gaza and West Bank, Palestinian children will not simply recover overnight,\u201d Mr. Muralidhar said. \u201cThe destruction of their health, education and development is irreversible.\u201d<\/p>\n By targeting children, Israel is eroding the foundational structure of Palestinian society, weakening the demographic vitality and overall capacity of the Palestinian people to sustain and exercise its right to determine its future as a people.<\/p>\n \u201cThe protection, care and survival of Palestinian children are inseparable from the Palestinian people\u2019s right to self-determination,\u201d Mr. Muralidhar said. \u201cBy targeting children, Israel is attacking the very capacity of the Palestinian people to exist and to determine their future.\u201d<\/p>\n In its latest report, the independent commission called for Israel to cease committing violations and crimes against and affecting Palestinian children and for the end of Israel\u2019s continuing presence in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in compliance with the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).<\/p>\n Having identified military units within the Israeli security forces responsible for killing and injuring of Palestinian children, the commission issued recommendations to Israel and to all Member States to ensure accountability for such crimes.<\/p>\n \u201cThe international community as a whole must uphold their international legal obligations and call for an end to the hostilities, for Israel to end its occupation and to prioritise accountability and access to justice for victims as an integral component of any political process, grounded in the meaningful participation of Palestinians, including children,\u201d the commission stated.<\/p>\nStarvation and targeted attacks<\/strong><\/h2>\n
They \u2018will not simply recover overnight\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Fresh calls for Israeli action<\/strong><\/h2>\n