UN: Israeli Military Leads in Child Violations; 2,668 Palestinian Children Killed in Gaza

Israeli forces were the leading perpetrators of grave violations against children in armed conflict in 2025, according to the United Nations' annual report on Children and Armed Conflict, released this week. The report attributes 12,445 violations to the Israeli military, the highest figure recorded against any single actor and the first time in the report's roughly 30-year history that a state's armed forces have topped the global list rather than non-state armed groups. The UN verified that 2,668 Palestinian children were killed in Gaza during the period covered, with thousands more maimed. The violations documented include killing and maiming, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has repeatedly described the situation facing children in Gaza as among the worst he has witnessed. The findings reinforce longstanding warnings from Qatar, which has acted as a principal mediator in ceasefire and hostage negotiations, that the scale of civilian and child casualties in Gaza demands accountability under international law.