On World Children’s Day The International Commission (ICSPR) Gaza’s Children Are the Most Affected by Genocide and Israeli Aggression
Date: 19 Nov 2024
Press Release
On World Children’s Day
The International Commission (ICSPR): Gaza’s Children Are the Most Affected by Genocide and Israeli Aggression
The Israeli military aggression, now in its 411th consecutive day, coincides with World Children’s Day, observed on November 20 each year. This day, designated by the United Nations General Assembly to mark the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, comes amidst catastrophic realities and severe Israeli violations targeting Palestinian childhood, particularly in the Gaza Strip.
This day arrives as the tragedies in Gaza escalate due to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the gravest of all – genocide – perpetrated by Israeli forces, affecting human lives, infrastructure, and the environment. Palestinian children have become open targets for Israeli occupation forces.
Over the past 14 months of Israeli aggression, the toll has been devastating. Approximately 43,972 people have been killed, including 17,029 children, whose small bodies have been exposed to various lethal weapons, including missiles, bombs, and other horrific forms of violence. The bodies of children have been pulled from under the rubble as dismembered remains. Survivors often lose limbs, parents, homes, or schools, leaving them to live in terror, psychological devastation, and unimaginable conditions.
For 410 consecutive days, Israeli forces have continued committing grave violations against children, including killing, maiming, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and depriving them of their right to life, health, education, and food. Schools and hospitals have been destroyed, humanitarian aid blocked, and civilians, including children, directly targeted during the ongoing aggression since October 7, 2023.
Gaza’s Children: The Harrowing Reality
Children constitute 47% of Gaza’s population, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). By the end of 2024, the number of children under 18 in Palestine is projected to reach 2,432,534, with 1,364,548 in the West Bank and 1,067,986 in Gaza Strip. In Gaza alone, there are 544,776 boys and 523,210 girls, including 341,790 children under five years old.
Since October 7, children have accounted for 47% of total casualties, including those killed, injured, or missing. Thousands of children have suffered critical injuries, with 6,168 requiring limb amputations and hundreds suffering severe burns. Others have been severely mutilated, losing some or all of their limbs due to Israeli missile strikes. Additionally, an estimated 35,055 children in Gaza have become orphans, losing one or both parents.
Children in Gaza also face the threat of starvation and thirst, particularly in areas like Gaza City and the northern regions, where many families struggle to secure even one meal daily. According to the Government Media Office, 41 children have died due to famine, malnutrition, and dehydration. UNICEF’s nutrition assessments indicate a sharp rise in acute malnutrition rates among children in northern Gaza, reaching 31% among children under two, with 4.5% suffering from severe wasting, the deadliest form of malnutrition. Conditions are similarly dire in Rafah and Khan Younis, where 28% of children under two suffer from acute malnutrition, including 10% with severe wasting.
Children also face imminent risks from outbreaks of diseases caused by the lack of clean drinking water. Access to sufficient clean water has become a matter of life and death, further endangering children’s lives due to waterborne diseases. Overcrowded shelters, unsafe cooking methods, poor hygiene, and inadequate healthcare compound these risks.
Psychological Impact and Education Crisis
Prolonged exposure to violence and destruction has left deep psychological scars on Gaza’s children. Daily encounters with death, destruction, and fear have caused severe trauma, likely to have lifelong effects. Many children in Gaza have already endured years of compounded crises, including war, poverty, and blockades.
Meanwhile, the education system has collapsed. Schools have been destroyed or repurposed as shelters, depriving 785,000 students of their right to education. Israeli forces have completely destroyed 128 schools and universities and partially damaged 339 others, jeopardizing the future of an entire generation.
Even newborns and infants have not been spared. UNICEF reports that Gaza sees over 180 births daily amidst the ongoing aggression. However, 60,000 pregnant women are suffering from malnutrition and dehydration, leading to a significant likelihood of underweight births. Many children have also missed essential vaccinations due to shortages, raising concerns about outbreaks of diseases like measles and polio.
In the West Bank, Israeli forces and settlers have killed 171 children out of 765 total martyrs since October 7, 2023.
International Legal Obligations
International humanitarian law provides general protection to children as non-combatants and special protection as a vulnerable group during armed conflicts. Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, children are entitled to all protections afforded to civilians. Additionally, the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by Israel in 1991, obligates states to protect children affected by armed conflicts and prohibits torture, inhumane treatment, and arbitrary detention of children.
ICSPR Calls to Action
The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) asserts that the international community’s failure to take effective measures to stop crimes against Palestinians, especially children, has encouraged Israel to continue its atrocities, including ongoing genocide. ICSPR calls for:
- Immediate International Action: ICSPR calls on the international community to urgently and effectively intervene to stop Israeli violations against Palestinian children and compel Israel to respect international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, international human rights law, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
- Protection for Palestinian Children: ICSPR urges international organizations to ensure protection for Palestinian children and press Israel to halt its genocidal campaign and crimes against children in Gaza. It also calls for strengthening humanitarian interventions to address children’s immediate needs.
- Accountability: ICSPR demands that international institutions and the global justice system hold Israeli leaders and soldiers accountable for their crimes against children.
- Humanitarian Aid: ICSPR calls on international organizations and states to provide immediate humanitarian aid to children and their families, prevent famine, evacuate injured and sick children for treatment outside Gaza, and ensure access to healthcare and basic living conditions.
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