New York (HRNW)- The United Nations children’s agency UNICEF has reported that at least 174 Palestinian children have been killed in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem since January 2024, while more than 1,500 children have been injured.
UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Hanan Suleiman told the UN Security Council that more than one Palestinian child has been killed every week in the occupied West Bank over the past two and a half years.
She said approximately half of the injured children were wounded by gunfire and that UNICEF had documented numerous incidents of violence against children.
According to Suleiman, UNICEF identified cases in which Palestinian children were allegedly shot despite not posing an immediate threat, including incidents in which children were shot while attempting to flee.
The UNICEF official said Palestinian children had also been subjected to beatings, stabbings and pepper spray, in addition to shootings. She added that children’s homes, livelihoods and essential water infrastructure had also been damaged.
Suleiman further said that, according to figures from the Israeli Prison Service, at least 355 Palestinian children from the West Bank are currently being held in Israeli military custody, representing the highest number recorded in eight years.
Of those children, 164 are reportedly being held under administrative detention, a system under which individuals can be detained without formal charges or trial.
UNICEF said the continued detention of children and reported incidents of violence against them have raised serious concerns regarding the protection, safety and fundamental human rights of Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank.
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