Date: 5 Apr 2024
Press Release
On the International Day of the Child
The International Commission “Hashd” Urges International Community to Protect Palestinian Children from Genocide and Israeli Occupation Crimes
Tomorrow, April 5th, marks the Palestinian Child Day, coinciding with the continuation of the genocide and Israeli aggression against Gaza for the 181st consecutive day. During this period, the Israeli occupation committed a series of war crimes, ethnic cleansing, genocide, and crimes against humanity. The most dangerous of these crimes was the deliberate targeting of civilians, especially children, who found themselves amidst a continuous massacre, leading to the martyrdom of nearly 15,000 children out of 33,000 martyrs. Additionally, 2,500 children are missing out of 8,500 missing under the rubble of homes destroyed by the occupation above their inhabitants. The Israeli occupation kills approximately 4 children every hour, while more than 30,000 children have been injured with various wounds. Severe famine and collective punishments have led to the death of 34 children in the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, where the Israeli occupation forces continue to prevent humanitarian aid from reaching it. Moreover, the number of children infected with infectious diseases has exceeded 220,000 children under the age of five due to shortages of food, medicine, and water.
Approximately 43,349 children are living without one or both parents, with 17,000 of them becoming orphans since October 7th. Furthermore, 1,800 children have lost one or both of their legs since the beginning of the aggression, meaning at least 12 children lose their limbs daily. More than a million children need psychological support. According to health data, around 20,000 children have been born during the Israeli aggression on Gaza, with approximately 60,000 pregnant women in the sector, averaging 180 childbirths per day.
The Israeli authorities continue their crimes and policy of racial discrimination against Palestinian children by depriving them of proper medical treatment, freedom of movement, and travel, including access to hospitals in the West Bank and within the Green Line. This blatant disregard for their commitments under international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention regarding the protection of civilians in times of war, and violation of international human rights law, especially the Convention on the Rights of the Child, persists.
Israeli violations against children in the West Bank continue between extrajudicial executions, arrests, exposure to the worst forms of torture and inhuman treatment, military court trials, house arrest, and other documented cases. Since the beginning of the aggression on October 7th, 455 martyrs have been documented in the West Bank, including 117 children, with 724 children among the 4,700 wounded. Israeli authorities arrested approximately 1,085 Palestinian children in 2023, with more than 355 children detained after October 7th. According to the Prisoners Affairs Authority, the number of child prisoners held in Israeli occupation prisons until the end of 2023 reached 260, while the number of detained children in Gaza who have been subjected to arbitrary arrest and abuse remains unknown.
Forced displacement affected 1,620 Palestinians, including 710 children, throughout various parts of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, due to the demolition of their homes. The population census in Palestine is characterized by a youth bulge, with children (under 18 years) accounting for approximately 43% of the total population, including 41% in the West Bank and 47% in Gaza.
Hashd renews its condemnation of the genocide and physical violations by the Israeli occupation against the rights of Palestinian children. It emphasizes that children are the biggest victims of Israeli violations and crimes affecting both the community and children. It expresses solidarity with Palestinian children on their national day and emphasizes that the continuation of impunity and evasion of accountability has encouraged and continues to encourage the escalation of Israeli violations. Therefore, it records the following:
- The International Commission “Hashd”: calls on the international community to urgently and effectively act to stop the genocide and Israeli aggression against Gaza and halt Israeli violations of the rights of Palestinian children, compelling Israel to respect the rules of international humanitarian law, especially the Fourth Geneva Convention, and international human rights law, particularly the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
- The International Commission “Hashd”: calls on the international community, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children, UNICEF, and all relevant institutions to urgently provide the necessary protection for Palestinian children in Gaza, ensure the cessation of severe famine affecting children in Gaza, and work expeditiously to include the Israeli occupation forces on the blacklist of countries violating children’s rights.
- The International Commission “Hashd”: urges the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to expedite preliminary investigations into Israeli crimes against Palestinian children, as it is the most effective way to deter Israeli forces and prevent children from the consequences of these crimes.
End
The International Commission to Support Palestinians Rights (Hashd)
