NGOs: Protecting Palestinian Children is the Responsibility of the International System and Saving Their Lives is an Ethical and Human Duty

SadaNews - On the occasion of World Children’s Day, which falls on November 20 every year, the Palestinian Network of NGOs demands immediate action from the United Nations and its relevant institutions, as well as specialized human rights and humanitarian organizations, to protect children in Palestine, particularly in the Gaza Strip, who are victims of the crimes of occupation. Official statistics indicate that more than 19,000 children have been martyred since October 7, 2023, and over 28,000 others have been injured. Additionally, hundreds of schools, kindergartens, and childhood centers have been completely or partially destroyed, especially in the Gaza Strip, alongside the documentation of over 56,000 orphaned children who have lost one or both parents.

The network affirms that this day, recognized as a day for dignity, justice, and ending the suffering of children, must ensure their basic rights to life, education, healthcare, and protection from all forms of violence and abuse, as enshrined in the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child. However, Palestinian children are subjected to all forms of violations and crimes by the occupying state, which is systematically implementing genocide alongside a formal policy, as well as detaining hundreds of them in Israeli prisons and detention centers, violating their most basic human rights. Therefore, it is necessary to work on protecting the right of children in Palestine to life and dignity as an ethical and humanitarian duty.

The Network calls for the enforcement of the law regarding the genocidal crimes committed by the occupying state, which continues to disregard international norms and agreements. It urges accountability for the occupation government and its leaders for their crimes against children in Palestine and the necessity of saving their lives from the actions of the occupation. Moreover, efforts must be made to secure medical treatment, transfer cases requiring evacuation for treatment, and provide medicine and food for children in the Gaza Strip who are suffering from severely deteriorating humanitarian conditions due to ongoing bombardment and destruction of schools, shelters, and displacement tents across all areas of the Strip.

The network also demands the inclusion of children and vulnerable groups in all recovery programs or emergency response plans by international and humanitarian organizations. These children should receive all possible assistance and attention to address the problems they face at various levels in schools and childcare facilities. There is a need to expand psychological and social support and official and community protection programs for them based on justice and equality, and to stop any form of discrimination based on gender, affiliation, or any other grounds against them.