In a joint statement the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) Jamie McGoldrick; the Head of the UN Human Rights office (OHCHR) in the OPT James Heenan; and the Special Representative for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the State of Palestine Genevieve Boutin said they were “deeply concerned” by continued reports of “children killed or seriously injured some as young as 11”.
The UN officials denounced the fact that children in the occupied Palestinian territories are exposed to “fear trauma and grave injuries”.
“This month alone seven Palestinian children were killed by live ammunition and shelling from Israel” they said”.
According to figures provided by UN agencies in the region since the start of demonstrations at the border fence against Israel’s longstanding blockade and deteriorating living conditions in Gaza on 30 March 26 Palestinian children have been killed.
21 were shot during the demonstrations and five others were killed by Israeli shelling or outside the context of demonstrations. In the same period hundreds more children have been injured by live ammunition.
“A number of these children will suffer lifelong disabilities including as a result of the amputation of limbs” the UN officials said. “Thousands are in need of urgent psycho-social assistance specialized medical care and support for their rehabilitation.”
The statement stressed that “all over the Occupied Palestinian Territory but particularly in the Gaza Strip” children are “robbed of every right.”
“Families cope with four hours of electricity per day in the sweltering heat clean drinking water is expensive and hard to find. The start of the school year in one month will be very difficult for tens of thousands of families who cannot afford basic school supplies” said the three UN officials.
“We call on Israel as well as the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas authorities in Gaza to put children’s rights ahead of any other considerations and to take immediate steps to alleviate their suffering” said Mr. McGoldrick Mr. Heenan and Ms. Boutin. “Respecting the rights of children and refraining from instrumentalizing their plight should be a priority for all” they insisted stressing that the Israeli-Palestinian context is “not an exception”.
