UN Warns Palestinian Children Face Less Protection as Israel Curbs Aid Groups in Gaza, West Bank
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jun 22
UN Warns Palestinian Children Face Less Protection as Israel Curbs Aid Groups in Gaza, West Bank
2 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jun 22
Summary
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child said Palestinian children are becoming “increasingly unprotected” as aid and rights groups in Gaza and the West Bank scale back or halt operations.
The committee said pro-Israel groups and politicians have branded some NGOs “terrorists,” while Israeli measures — including raids, travel bans, financial sanctions, arrest threats and record destruction — make safe operations increasingly impossible.
Those groups have spent more than 30 years defending Palestinian children, including in Israeli military courts and by documenting alleged violations by Israeli forces; the UN warned their absence could let abuses continue with impunity.
Israel has tightened restrictions on humanitarian work since the October 10 ceasefire, including banning MSF over staff-list demands, while 17 international aid groups petitioned Israel’s Supreme Court in February to keep operating in Gaza and other occupied areas.
The committee urged Israel to lift restrictions and called on the international community to hold Israeli authorities accountable for attacks on Palestinian human rights defenders.
When aid groups are branded as terrorists, who is left to defend the children of Gaza?
With US sanctions undermining the ICC, is international justice for war crimes in Palestine now obsolete?
Gaza Under Siege: How Israeli Restrictions in 2026 Are Fueling a Catastrophe for Palestinian Children
Overview
As of June 2026, Gaza faces a severe humanitarian crisis despite a ceasefire in place since October 2025. The UN Security Council met on June 18, 2026, to address worsening conditions, noting that the crisis is being overshadowed by other regional issues. Nearly 1,000 Palestinians have died since the truce, and most Gazans remain displaced. Relief chief Tom Fletcher stressed that any progress since the ceasefire is minimal. Ongoing restrictions on humanitarian aid organizations and continued conflict have left families struggling in overcrowded shelters, with urgent needs unmet and the situation rapidly deteriorating.