Occupied Jerusalem, SANA-Palestinian Foreign Ministry stressed that the Israeli occupation continues to violate the most basic rights of children, particularly the right to life, calling on the international community to protect children and improve their living conditions.
“The martyrdom of more than 17,490 children in Gaza Strip since the beginning of the Israeli extermination war reflects the ugliness of the ongoing war that targets innocent people indiscriminately, especially children.” WAFA Agency cited the Ministry as saying in a statement on the occasion of International’s Day, which is in is 20 November each year.
The statement added that children in Gaza face a real threat as they are exposed to bombing and starvation, and it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of them suffer from a severe shortage of food and clean drinking water.
The statement sheds light on the violations faced by Palestinian children in the West Bank, with many being subjected to detentions and military trials that contravene their basic rights, and articulates that these are a flagrant violation of all international norms and agreements, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which guarantees special protection for children from arrest and violence.
The Ministry also, highlighted the disastrous consequences of the occupation’s ban on UNRWA activities on services provided to children, whether health, education or living, and called on the international community to take urgent action to ensure the occupation’s commitment to international covenants and treaties, most notably the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Fedaa al-Rahai