On World Children’s Day Palestine Witnesses the Worst Humanitarian Tragedy Affecting Children in the 21st Century

Date: 20 November 2025

Press Release

On World Children’s Day: Palestine Witnesses the Worst Humanitarian Tragedy Affecting Children in the 21st Century

The International Commission “ICSPR” marks World Children’s Day on 20 November, a day globally dedicated to protecting the rights and well-being of children, while Palestinian children are experiencing the gravest humanitarian tragedy of the century. This comes after two years of genocide in the Gaza Strip and accompanying war crimes and crimes against humanity, alongside escalating violations in the West Bank and East Jerusalem during one of the bloodiest periods in decades. The impacts of war and Israeli aggression continue to cast a heavy shadow over the lives of children in Gaza, where displacement, injuries, disabilities, and the collapse of essential services persist under occupation policies that undermine children’s rights to life, health, education, and safe mobility.

ICSPR: Data indicates that the genocide and Israeli aggression (2023–2025) resulted in the killing of approximately 69,483 civilians, including more than 20,000 children—over 1,000 of them infants. More than 170,706 people were injured, including 70,000 children, half of whom now have permanent disabilities. Around 6,000 amputation cases were recorded, at a daily rate of 10–12 cases. Meanwhile, 2,500 children remain among 10,000 missing persons still trapped under the rubble.

ICSPR: The genocide and Israeli aggression have wiped out 2,700 entire families from the civil registry and targeted more than 6,000 others, leaving 56,348 children orphaned. Famine, the closure of crossings, and the prevention of humanitarian aid have caused the deaths of 154 children, while 51,196 children continue to suffer from severe acute malnutrition. Additionally, 40,000 infants face life-threatening risks due to a lack of formula and nutrition-related diseases.

ICSPR: According to the Ministry of Health, vaccination rates have dropped to 80%, including the suspension of the fourth dose of the polio vaccine. Meanwhile, 18,000 patients, including 5,580 children, have been denied travel for medical treatment, with more than 900 deaths recorded while awaiting medical evacuation due to the continued closure of the Rafah crossing. Reports also document that 82% of children under one year old are suffering from anemia, along with 156 recorded cases of congenital deformities since the beginning of the war. Additionally, the birth rate has declined by 40%, indicating a dangerous form of “health-engineered genocide” practiced by the occupation through the deliberate denial of medical and humanitarian supplies.

ICSPR: The destruction of infrastructure caused by the dropping of 200,000 tons of explosives has damaged 90% of facilities and forced hundreds of thousands of children to live in tents and overcrowded shelters. This has resulted in the deaths of 14 children due to cold and disease outbreaks, in addition to severe psychological impacts including aggressive behavior (93%), sleep disorders (79%), sadness and depression (86%), refusal to attend school (69%), increased school dropout rates, early marriage, and child begging.

ICSPR: Gaza’s education sector has been devastated, leaving 785,000 children without access to education. Around 95% of schools have been damaged, 13,000 students and 800 teachers have been killed, and schooling has been disrupted for two consecutive years.

ICSPR: Since the beginning of the genocide, 1,071 Palestinians have been killed, at least 10,000 injured, and 20,000 arrested—including 1,600 children—in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Around 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced, and the bodies of 73 children remain withheld by the Israeli occupation.

ICSPR: Approximately 350 children, including two girls, are imprisoned in Israeli jails under conditions that violate all international conventions. These conditions include torture, starvation, medical neglect, collective isolation, and the denial of basic rights. More than 90 children are held under administrative detention, and over 1,630 child arrests have been documented in the West Bank alone, in addition to dozens of children detained from Gaza under enforced disappearance and denial of family visits. Medical crimes have led to the deaths of 98 detainees, including a child who died of starvation. Children continue to face illegal military trials, denial of medical care, and harsh detention conditions.

ICSPR: Affirms that the crimes committed against Palestinian children constitute acts of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity as defined in Article (7) of the Rome Statute. They also represent a flagrant violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Genocide Convention, the Convention Against Torture, and all principles of international humanitarian law that grant special protection to children. Accordingly, ICSPR calls for the following:

1. ICSPR: Urges Israel to respect international law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child and to stop all systematic crimes and violations against children.

2. ICSPR: Calls on the United Nations and the States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to provide international protection for children and ensure the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid and essential supplies for civilians and children in the Gaza Strip.

3. ICSPR: Calls on the International Criminal Court to open a comprehensive and effective investigation and hold accountable all those responsible for crimes against Palestinian children.

4. ICSPR: Calls for providing all forms of social, psychological, and humanitarian support for children, rehabilitating the injured, and accelerating recovery and humanitarian response efforts to ensure access to education, healthcare, and all essential services.

5. ICSPR: Calls for broad international action to impose sanctions on the occupying state, hold it accountable for its crimes against Palestinian children and civilians, and ensure such crimes are not repeated in the future.