UN Report: Israel Tops List of Grave Violations Against Children in 2025

The United Nations reported a 34 percent increase in grave violations against children in 2025 compared to the previous year, noting that Israeli forces committed 9,465 grave violations against children in the occupied Palestinian territories.

In his 47-page report on “Children and Armed Conflict” for 2025, UN Secretary-General António Guterres indicated that parties to armed conflicts committed a record number of grave violations against children during 2025, emphasizing that this represents “the highest level of children affected since the inception of the mechanism for children and armed conflict.”

According to documented UN data, the report recorded 38,558 grave violations against children during 2025.

It added that the violations included killing and maiming, recruitment and use of child soldiers, abduction, rape and other forms of sexual violence, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of access to humanitarian aid. The report explained that the United Nations documented a total of 12,445 grave violations against children, 12,436 of which occurred in the occupied Palestinian territories.

It indicated that these violations were distributed between the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (5,452 cases), and the Gaza Strip (6,984 cases).

The report stated that the Israeli army committed 9,465 grave violations against children, and 326 grave violations were documented, perpetrated by Israelis seeking to seize Palestinian land.

The report noted that Israeli forces arrested 981 Palestinian children in 2025, including 973 boys and 8 girls. It also indicated that 180 Palestinian children were detained without charge or trial, and that 66 children reported being subjected to physical violence and other forms of ill-treatment while in detention. The report noted the death of one Palestinian child in detention, and stated that the UN confirmed the use of three children as human shields by Israeli forces in Gaza and the West Bank.

It also highlighted that 2,223 children were injured in the Gaza Strip and 2,921 children in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, by Israeli forces and Israelis attempting to seize Palestinian land.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, commenting on the report, said he was appalled by the grave violations committed against children in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly the widespread use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas.

He added that he was shocked by the continued grave violations in the Gaza Strip and expressed deep concern about the escalating violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

A senior UN official commented on the report, stating that for the first time in 30 years, government forces were listed as principal perpetrators of grave violations against children, with the Israeli army and security forces topping the list.