
UN: Gaza children bear brunt of record violence in conflict zones
The United Nations has sounded the alarm over what it calls an 'unprecedented' rise in violence against children caught in conflict zones, with Gaza topping a grim global list.
In its annual report, the UN confirmed more than 8,500 grave violations against Palestinian children in 2024, most carried out by Israeli forces. More than 4,800 of those violations were recorded in the Gaza Strip alone.
The UN said it had verified the deaths of 1,259 Palestinian children in Gaza, while information on another 4,470 reported child fatalities is still under review. The devastating numbers stem largely from Israel's ongoing military assault on Gaza.
Israeli forces remain on the UN's so-called 'list of shame' for grave violations, including killings, recruitment, and obstruction of aid.
The occupied West Bank has also witnessed a surge in violence, with rights groups reporting increased military raids, home demolitions and settler attacks since the war on Gaza began.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Middle East Eye
31 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
Israeli strikes on Iran: ‘You can't bomb people into a revolution' Hoda Katebi
'You can't bomb people into a revolution.' That's how Iranian-American activist Hoda Katebi describes the escalating war between Israel and Iran, following a surprise large-scale Israeli strike, and the calls for regime change emerging. She reflects on the 'disgusting irony' of those who once supported Iranian women now cheering on Israeli strikes, and how narratives like 'liberation through bombing' only strengthen authoritarian governments. In this Real Talk interview, Hoda also opens up about what she's hearing from family on the ground inside Iran, as millions are told to evacuate the capital. Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form . More about MEE can be found here .


Middle East Eye
31 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
Mass protests against Israeli attacks on Iran across Middle East
Tens of thousands of Iranians took to the streets following congregational Friday prayers in Tehran, in protest of the ongoing Israeli offensive on Iran, Iranian state media Press TV reported. Al Jazeera reported the presence of prominent Iranian political and military figures such as Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i and former Revolutionary Guard commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari. According to the Press TV report, similar protests took place in other Iranian cities, as well as in Iraq and Yemen. Demonstrators also gathered in southern Beirut to express solidarity with Iran, Al Jazeera reported.


Middle East Eye
31 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
Repercussions of hitting Bushehr nuclear power plant could be ‘serious,' IAEA chief says
International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi warned on Friday that an attack on Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant could have 'serious' consequences, as it contains large amounts of nuclear material. 'I want to make it absolutely and completely clear that, in case of an attack on the Bushehr nuclear power plant, a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment,' Grossi said at a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York. In addition, he said that hitting the two lines supplying electrical power to Bushehr would also lead to the release of radioactivity to the environment, as it would cause its reactor core to melt out. The radioactive releases can go 'within and beyond the boundaries of the state which has been attacked,' he said. 'I, therefore, again call for maximum restraint.' Meanwhile, UN chief Antonio Guterres has called upon all parties involved in the Israeli-Iranian tensions to 'give peace a chance,' warning that the extension of this conflict could start an uncontrollable fire.