The United Nations has, for the third consecutive year, included the Israeli armed and security forces among parties that commit grave violations against children in armed conflict, according to a report.
Seen by Anadolu on Wednesday, the yet-to-be-released report, which contains data for 2025, said: “In 2025, violations against children in armed conflict reached unprecedented levels. The UN verified 38 558 grave violations affecting 24 174 children in 2025 (15 493 boys, 7 990 girls, and 691 of unknown gender), the highest number of children affected by grave violations since the beginning of the mandate.”
A senior UN official said on Wednesday that government forces were “the main perpetrators of grave violations against children” for the first time in the 30-year history of the Children and Armed Conflict mandate.
Among government forces, the senior UN official said the Israeli government ranked first among countries committing grave violations against children, followed by Russia.
According to the report, at least 1 445 grave violations were verified in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, with 5,663 being against children.
Noting an increase of 34% and 10%, respectively, in incidents leading to the death and injury of children compared with the previous year, the report said: “The highest numbers of grave violations were verified in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (12 445), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (4 114), Nigeria (2 560), Myanmar (2 203), and Somalia (2 195).”
According to the report, in 2025, 6 266 children were killed, 7 958 were injured, 6 607 were recruited into armed groups, 8 322 were denied access to humanitarian aid, and 4 573 children were abducted
According to the report, 6 984 of the 12 436 grave violations against Palestinian children occurred in Gaza, with 5 452 in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
It further emphasises that the Israeli army and security forces were responsible for 9 465 of these violations, and 326 were attributed to Israeli occupiers.
Saying that Israel has detained 981 Palestinian children, the report also indicates that the UN has information about children being subjected to ill-treatment and sexual abuse.
In Gaza, the report noted that Israeli officials obstructed 1 684 humanitarian aid missions out of 3 157 planned missions.
In total, the UN reported at least 5 946 incidents “of denial of humanitarian access by Israeli armed and security forces” to Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and East Jerusalem.
In addition to the Israeli army and security forces, the list included the armed wing of the Palestinian group Hamas, the Al-Qassam Brigades, and the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in the report that he is “appalled by the magnitude of grave violations against children” in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel.
“I am shocked by the ongoing grave violations in the Gaza Strip, and I am deeply alarmed by the escalating violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” he said.
He further pointed to the “staggering rise in attacks” carried out by Israeli occupiers and denounced the “persistent lack of accountability for these violations.”
Guterres also expressed “concern” over the reported killing of 29 children in Iran amid the ongoing US-Israel war against the country.
Major areas of violations
The report says that the places where violations against children are the most intense are the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Myanmar, and Somalia.
It further pointed to the “rapid evolution of technologies used in warfare,” stressing that “growing integration of artificial intelligence” has “contributed to a sharp increase in the scale of harm to children.”
The report highlighted the impact of a lack of funding on child protection and UN peace operations, stating that it reduced the UN’s ability to verify violations “significantly” in countries such as Congo, Mali, and Sudan.
The report also announced that Russian security forces are still on the list due to violations in Ukraine, with 1,899 grave violation cases recorded. – AA
