Date: 5 Jun 2024
Press Release
On the International Day of the Child Victims of Aggression
the International Commission calls on the international community and its institutions to protect Palestinian children from the crimes of Israeli occupation genocide
June 4 of each year considers as an International Day of Child Victims of Aggression, a day adopted by the General Assembly under resolution 51/77 on the rights of the. With the aim of improving protection of children in conflict situations. Including drawing global attention to the devastating impact of armed conflict on children, the said resolution is the beginning of a new consensus among Member States, on the urgent need for dedicated attention, advocacy and coordination efforts, in order to address the particular vulnerabilities and violations faced by children in conflict-related situations.
51/77 resolution is based on the ongoing efforts of General Assembly to protect the rights of child, including through the Convention on the Rights of the Child, its Optional Protocol and annual child rights resolutions. As part of those efforts, the mandate of Special Representative of Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict was established.
At the level of Palestine situation, the result of the systematic violations committed by Israeli occupation against children inside occupied territories has increased, within the framework of an organised policy based on targeting children and denying their most basic rights, which takes multiple forms, including genocide, massacres, forced rejouration, famine, collective punishments, field killing on checkpoints, the continuation of raiding and arrest campaigns, and the daily arbitrary detention of children in West Bank and occupied Jerusalem, exposing them to torture, ill-treatment and abuse, At the level of Gaza Strip, Israeli occupation authorities have recently launched a devastating aggression since October 7, 2023 and has so far resulted in the outcome of shocking violations, including the killing of about (36,570) citizens, including the killing of about (15360) children, and the injury of more than (83,000) other citizens with various wounds, including about (30,000) children, in addition to destruction of citizens’ homes and residential neighbourhoods and the destruction of a serious damage to hospitals, schools, institutions and infrastructure, the damage of safe spaces related to children, imposition of famine, thirst, spread diseases and forced displacement for all residents in Gaza Strip, and the consequences of this on entire life and state of the maximum children rights and interests, which complicated the challenges they suffer from, at various levels and made children live at the level of a humanitarian disaster whose chapters deepen every day with the continuation of genocide war.
According to all international institutions, that children in Gaza Strip need lunch, water, psychological support and medicines, in order to help them to deal with the conditions of the humanitarian disaster, especially fear, intimidation and pressure they are subjected in their daily lives due to the war, collective punishments and Israeli blockade of Strip. There is no doubt that 17,000 children who have become orphans without a head of 350,000 children are infected with infectious diseases. Therefore, there is an urgent need to protect children in Palestine, prevent the continuation of genocide, ensure the flow of humanitarian aid, medical supplies and intervention to ensure the provision of health services for wounded and ill children.
The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights confirms that this day should talks about Palestinian children witch subjected to Israeli war crimes, Emphasising the need for this day to be a serious and real occasion to remind the international community and its various institutions of their responsibilities towards Palestinian child under occupation, in order to urge them to stimulate its efforts, tools and roles in the contexts of providing protection, prevention and care, in order to promote international humanitarian law and human rights law, and accountability of occupation for violations, and therefore it demands the following:
- The International Commission renews its condemnation of the crimes of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian children, and believes that these crimes are a clear reflection of the racist occupation doctrine based on the fact that the killing of children today is the killing of the enemy of tomorrow.
- The International Commission calls the international community, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children, UNICEF and all relevant institutions for urgent action to provide protection for Palestinian children, and work without delay to include Israeli occupation forces on the blacklist of countries that violate children’s rights.
- The International Commission confirms the importance of intensifying diplomatic work, with United Nations, the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice to enhance exposing, boycotting and holding the occupation leaders accountable for their crimes against Palestinian childhood within the borders of occupied territories.
