The foundation of any society rests on its children, and their ability to play, learn, grow and dream. Yet, in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, this foundation is being systematically dismantled.
A harrowing new report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, starkly concludes that Israeli authorities and security forces have deliberately targeted Palestinian children. The result is unprecedented death, injury and trauma, amounting to genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
“The evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli security forces,” said Srinivasan Muralidhar, Chair of the Commission. “Even after the October 2025 ceasefire, children continue to be killed and seriously injured, with continued disregard by Israel for the ceasefire and for the protection owed to Palestinian children under international law.”
A toll beyond comprehension
The sheer scale of the violence inflicted upon Palestinian youth is staggering. Between October 2023 and October 2025, at least 20,179 children were killed and 44,143 were injured as a direct result of hostilities in Gaza. Children constitute 30 percent of those killed and 26 percent of those injured during this period. Among the dead are at least 5,031 children under five years old, including 1,029 infants under the age of one, and 420 newborns.
These numbers, however, represent only the recorded casualties. Save the Children estimates that some 5,160 children remain buried under the rubble, while countless others lie in unmarked graves or are simply missing.
The Commission found that the unprecedented scale of child casualties is largely due to the extensive use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated residential areas. The physiological vulnerability of children—their smaller size, pliable bones, and thinner skin—makes them seven times more likely to die from blast injuries than adults.
Beyond the indiscriminate bombardment, the Commission documented a chilling pattern of deliberate targeting. Medical professionals reported treating numerous children with single gunshot wounds to the head or chest, indicating precise targeting by snipers or quadcopters equipped with assault rifles. In one documented case, a 10-day-old baby was shot in the head by a quadcopter while being breastfed inside a tent in the Nuseirat camp.
The collapse of care and protection
The systematic destruction extends far beyond physical casualties; it targets the very institutions designed to protect and nurture children. Healthcare facilities, schools, and orphanages have been repeatedly attacked, leaving children without essential care, education, or safe havens.
Prior to October 2023, Gaza had three major pediatric hospitals. Within the first two months of the hostilities, all three were forced to close. The Al-Nasr Paediatric Hospital was repeatedly attacked, leading to a tragic incident where premature babies, dependent on life-support equipment, were abandoned during a forced evacuation and subsequently died.
The targeting of neonatal and maternity care centers has directly harmed the survival of newborns and the reproductive future of Palestinians. The Commission reports rises in miscarriages, birth defects, and lasting vulnerabilities among newborns. Furthermore, starvation imposed through blockade and siege has severely impacted children’s health, depriving them of essential nutrition and increasing disease risks amid destroyed health services.
For those children who survive, the loss of family structures is profound. Tens of thousands of children have been orphaned or separated from their families. The term “Wounded Child No Surviving Family” (WCNSF) was coined by medical staff to describe the sheer volume of children arriving at hospitals alone. Facilities caring for these vulnerable children, such as the Al-Amal orphanage, have also been bombed, resulting in further deaths and displacement.
The ‘occupied psyche’ and intergenerational trauma
The psychological toll on Palestinian children is immeasurable. The relentless exposure to violence, displacement, and loss has stripped them of any sense of safety. UNICEF estimated that nearly all of Gaza’s 1.2 million children require mental health and psychosocial support.
Children are exhibiting acute trauma responses, including pervasive fear, mutism, confusion, and suicidal thoughts. The complete collapse of the mental health system in Gaza—where all six Community Mental Health centres and the only psychiatric hospital were forced to close—means these children have nowhere to turn for professional help.
Experts describe the situation as “continuous traumatic stress,” warning that the prolonged exposure to danger will likely result in severe intergenerational trauma. The freedom to play, imagine, hope, and develop an identity has been eroded, producing what the report calls a distinctive “occupied psyche.”
This trauma is compounded by the dehumanizing actions of some Israeli security forces. The Commission documented numerous instances of soldiers filming themselves mocking and desecrating symbols of childhood in Gaza, such as toys and children’s bedrooms. These acts, disseminated widely online, evoke communal shame and highlight a military culture that degrades Palestinians as a group.
A call for accountability and justice
By targeting children, Israel is eroding the foundational structure of Palestinian society, weakening the demographic vitality and the overall capacity of the Palestinian people to sustain and exercise their right to self-determination.
“Even if the bombs and guns fall silent in Gaza and West Bank, Palestinian children will not simply recover overnight. The destruction of their health, education and development is irreversible.”
Srinivasan Muralidhar, Chair of the Commission
Muralidhar further stressed, “The protection, care and survival of Palestinian children are inseparable from the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination. By targeting children, Israel is attacking the very capacity of the Palestinian people to exist and to determine their future.”
The Commission’s findings present a harrowing reality: the essence of Palestinian childhood is being systematically destroyed. The international community must uphold its legal obligations, demand an end to the hostilities and occupation, and prioritize accountability. Justice for the victims, particularly the children whose futures have been stolen, must be an integral component of any political process. The survival of a people depends on the survival of its children.
References
[1] UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. Press Release, 23 June 2026.
[2] “The essence of childhood has been destroyed”: Israel’s deliberate targeting of Palestinian children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since 7 October 2023. A/HRC/62/CRP.2. Section IV.A, Child casualties due to Israel’s use of explosive weapons in populated areas.
[3] “The essence of childhood has been destroyed”. A/HRC/62/CRP.2. Section IV.B, Deliberate targeting of children by the Israeli security forces in the Gaza Strip.
[4] “The essence of childhood has been destroyed”. A/HRC/62/CRP.2. Section IV.G, Attacks on healthcare and its impact on children and newborns.
[5] “The essence of childhood has been destroyed”. A/HRC/62/CRP.2. Section IV.I, Attacks and damage to facilities caring for children (orphanages) in Gaza and their impact.
[6] “The essence of childhood has been destroyed”. A/HRC/62/CRP.2. Section V.A, Children’s mental health and conditions in Gaza.
[7] “The essence of childhood has been destroyed”. A/HRC/62/CRP.2. Section VI, Dehumanization of Palestinian childhood.
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