UN warns Palestinian children face rising protection gaps
Israel’s aid restrictions and pressure on NGOs deepen vulnerability in Gaza and West Bank, UN rights body says
GENEVA, Switzerland (MNTV) – Palestinian children in Gaza and the occupied West Bank are becoming “increasingly unprotected” as humanitarian organizations and child rights defenders face mounting restrictions and pressure by Israel, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child warned.
The committee said that civil society groups working on child protection and human rights have been increasingly targeted, including being labeled “terrorist” organizations by Israel, a trend it says is contributing to the shrinking humanitarian space in the occupied Palestinian territories.
According to the UN statement, many of these organizations have spent decades documenting violations affecting Palestinian children and providing legal and humanitarian support, including in military court proceedings.
Their reduced presence, it warned, risks leaving children without essential protection mechanisms.
The committee said the situation is worsening due to a range of reported Israeli measures affecting humanitarian and rights groups, including raids, travel restrictions, financial sanctions, threats of arrest and pressure on partner organizations.
It added that such conditions are making it increasingly difficult for aid and rights groups to operate safely or continue delivering services to vulnerable families in Gaza and the West Bank.
The UN body urged the international community to ensure accountability for actions affecting humanitarian and child protection work and called on authorities to remove restrictions placed on humanitarian organizations operating in the territories.
It emphasized that child rights defenders, despite operating under severe risk and limited resources, continue to provide critical support to Palestinian families in highly unstable conditions and should be protected rather than obstructed.
The warning comes amid recent genocide in Gaza and follows additional Israeli restrictions on humanitarian operations in Gaza, including limitations affecting international medical organizations.
In February, several international aid groups petitioned Israel’s Supreme Court seeking permission to continue operating in Gaza and other occupied territories after facing administrative and operational constraints.
The UN committee stressed that without sustained access for humanitarian and child protection organizations, the risks to Palestinian children could further intensify, particularly in conflict-affected areas.
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