MIDDLE EAST: The conflict in the Middle East has led to a 155 per cent increase in grave violations against children, according to a forthcoming UN report obtained by AFP.
The United Nations’ annual “Children in Armed Conflict” report confirmed the deaths of 2,141 Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip in 2023, with 2,051 killed between October 7 and December 31.
It also verified that 43 Israeli children were killed in Israel and the West Bank during the October 7 attack, and a total of 47 Israeli children were abducted by Hamas and other Palestinian groups.
Over 23,000 reports of grave violations against children — 19,887 Palestinian children and 3,900 Israeli children — by all parties to the conflict had yet to be verified.
“We’ve never verified so many violations against children as last year,” said a senior UN official.
“It will take a long, long time to verify,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Violence against children in armed conflicts reached “extreme levels” in 2023, particularly in Gaza and Sudan, according to a forthcoming UN report obtained by AFP.
The United Nations’ annual “Children in Armed Conflict” report placed the Sudanese army as well as the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the blacklist for “the killing and maiming of children, and for attacks on schools and hospitals”.
Also added to the blacklist were Hamas and the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad for the October 7 attack on Israel, as well as the Israeli army for its retaliatory campaign against Hamas in Gaza.
“In 2023, violence against children in armed conflict reached extreme levels, with a shocking 21 per cent increase in grave violations,” said the report by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, which is due to be published on Thursday.
The UN verified 30,705 violations committed against children last year — including 5,301 killings, 6,348 injuries, 8,655 instances of children recruited and used in conflicts, 5,205 denials of humanitarian access, and 4,356 kidnappings.