The United Nations’ annual report on children and armed conflict documented the killing of 2,725 Palestinian children in 2025, attributing responsibility to Israel. Secretary-General António Guterres warned that Israeli settler groups could be added to a global blacklist for violations against children, voicing alarm at a “staggering” rise in attacks against Palestinian children.
According to Reuters, the report recorded 38,558 “grave violations” worldwide in 2025, affecting 24,174 children — a record since the Children and Armed Conflict committee's mandate began in 1996.
The report said the UN verified the killing of 57 Palestinian children in the West Bank and 2,668 Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip.
The violations included the killing and maiming of children, rape and other forms of sexual violence, and attacks on schools and hospitals.
In a briefing on the report, a senior UN official said, “Countries with the highest levels of violations in 2025 were the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Myanmar, and Somalia.”
The data showed 14,224 children killed or maimed, a 34% increase over 2024. The UN verified the killing of 2,668 Palestinian children in Gaza and 57 in the West Bank, attributing 9,465 grave violations to Israeli forces and 326 to Israeli settlers.
Guterres said Israeli settler groups should be listed if the high number of violations is repeated in 2026. “I am deeply alarmed at the staggering rise in attacks carried out by Israeli settlers resulting in grave violations against Palestinian children,” he said.
“I am appalled by the magnitude of grave violations against children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, notably by the widespread use of explosive weapons in populated areas,” Guterres said.
Israel already features in the report's so-called list of shame annexes for alleged violations, but the latest version for the first time highlights settlers as a potential future listing.
The report also continues to blacklist Hamas' armed wing and affiliated factions for killing and maiming children and for abductions, attributing 2,806 violations to Palestinian armed groups.
UNICEF said in May 2025 that more than 50,000 children had been killed or injured since the start of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023.
