United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed deep concern over the sharp rise in violations against children in the occupied Palestinian territory and warned that Israeli settler groups could be added to the UN’s global blacklist if attacks continue at current levels.

In the UN’s annual report on children and armed conflict, released this week, Guterres highlighted the devastating impact of the conflict on Palestinian children, particularly in Gaza and the West Bank.

The report documented the killing of 2,668 children in the Gaza Strip and 57 children in the West Bank in 2025. Globally, the UN recorded 38,558 grave violations against children — the highest number since the monitoring mechanism was established in 1996 — affecting 24,174 children.

A total of 14,224 children were killed or injured worldwide, with child deaths rising by 34 percent compared to 2024, reaching 6,266.

“The countries with the highest levels of violations in 2025 were the occupied Palestinian territory, Israel, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Myanmar, and Somalia,” a senior UN official said during a briefing on the report.

Israel and Settlers Under ScrutinyIsrael already features in the report’s “appendix to the list of shame” for grave violations against children. This year’s edition marks the first time the UN has highlighted Israeli settler groups as potential candidates for future listing.

“I am appalled by the scale of grave violations committed against children in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel, particularly the widespread use of explosive weapons in populated areas,” Guterres stated in the report.

He voiced particular alarm over the significant increase in attacks by settlers, which have resulted in grave violations against Palestinian children. Guterres warned that colonist groups should be added to the list if the high number of violations is repeated in 2026.

The report attributed 9,465 grave violations to the Israeli military and 326 to Israeli colonists/settlers.

The UN defines grave violations against children as including killing and maiming, recruitment and use of child soldiers, sexual violence, attacks on schools and hospitals, abductions, and denial of humanitarian access.

Guterres urged all parties to conflicts to take immediate steps to protect children and comply with international humanitarian law.The findings come amid ongoing international debate over the humanitarian situation in Gaza and rising tensions in the West Bank, where settler violence has escalated in recent years.

This report is expected to intensify diplomatic pressure on all parties involved in the conflict to uphold their obligations under international law to safeguard children in armed conflicts. (ILKHA)