Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory

In the annexes of his 2026 annual report on children and armed conflict (CAAC), the Secretary-General (SG) continued to list Israeli armed and security forces for killing and maiming and attacks on schools and hospitals, as well as Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades and affiliated factions and Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades for killing and maiming and abduction. For the third consecutive year, Israel and OPT was the situation with the highest number of verified grave violations in the SG’s annual CAAC report. The UN verified 12,445 grave violations against 5,663 children (3,549 boys, 2,114 girls). Violations were verified in Israel (9) and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (12,436). The UN verified the killing of 57 Palestinian children in the West Bank and 2,668 Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip, with the process of attribution of 2,518 verified killing incidents ongoing. The UN also verified the maiming of 2,921 Palestinian children, the detention of 981 Palestinian children, the use of two Palestinian children as human shields by Israeli armed and security forces, conflict-related sexual violence against 10 children, 828 attacks on schools and hospitals, nine military uses of schools and health facilities, the abduction of one Palestinian boy, and 5,946 incidents of denial of humanitarian access. The SG expressed concern at the substantial increase in grave violations attributed to Israeli settlers and warned that, should violations against children continue in 2026 without meaningful improvement, Israeli settlers should be listed. The Security Council should:  

• Unequivocally condemn all violations and abuses committed against civilians, in particular the unprecedented number of grave violations against children; call on all parties to immediately end such violations and to cease all indiscriminate attacks and attacks on objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, including children, notably through the use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA); 
• Demand that all parties fully comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights law (IHRL); including the special protections afforded to children; call for an end to impunity; and call on all parties to immediately and fully implement all relevant Security Council Resolutions, in particular, 2712 (2023), 2720 (2023), 2728 (2024), and 2735 (2024), as well as resolutions on the protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel and on CAAC; 
• Call for the immediate, safe, and unimpeded access of humanitarian actors for the delivery of humanitarian aid, including medical services, to children and other civilians in need, and for the facilitation of medical evacuations of critically sick and injured children with caregivers; and condemn attacks against humanitarian operations, premises and workers, including the killing of humanitarian personnel; 
• Urge the Israeli armed and security forces, Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades and affiliated factions, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades to immediately cease all grave violations against children and to urgently engage with the UN to develop, sign, and implement time-bound, concrete action plans to end and prevent grave violations against children. 

THERE IS NO DESIGNATED SECURITY COUNCIL PENHOLDER ON ISRAEL AND THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY.

This information is based on Watchlist’s Children and Armed Conflict Monthly Update – July 2026.