UN Child Rights Committee urged Israel to immediately cease the killing and injuring of Palestinian children in Gaza – Press Release

I. Report: Combined fifth and sixth periodic reports submitted by Israel under article 44 of the Convention (CRC/C/ISR/5-6)

II. Annex to the report:

• Annex No. I – Attached to Israel’s 3^rd Periodic Report Concerning – Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Additional Protocols
• Annex No. III – Judicial Decisions Attached to the Fourth Periodic Report by the State of Israel – Implementation of the International Covenant on the Rights of the Child

III. Common Core Documents:

• Core Document forming part of the Reports of State Parties – Israel (2008)
• Core Document forming part of the Reports of State Parties – Israel (2015)
• Core Document forming part of the Reports of State Parties – Israel (2021)

IV. Annex to Common Core Documents:

• Annex Attached to Israel’s Second update of its Core Document
• Annex Attached to Israel’s update of its Core Document

V. List of Issues and Reply:

• List of Issues in Relation to the Combined Fifth and Sixth Periodic Reports of Israel (CRC/C/ISR/Q/5-6)
• List of Issues in Relation to the Combined Fifth and Sixth Periodic Reports of Israel – Addendum 1 (CRC/C/ISR/Q/5-6/Add.1)

VI. Annex to Reply to List of Issues – Israel

VII. Reply to list of issues

• Replies of Israel to the list of issues in relation to its combined fifth and sixth periodic reports (CRC/C/ISR/RQ/5-6 )
• Additional replies of Israel to the list of issues in relation to its combined fifth and sixth periodic reports (CRC/C/ISR/RQ/5-6/Add.1 )

VIII. OHCHR Thematic report – Indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks during the conflict in Gaza

IX. Statement from Delegation of Israel

X. Israeli Delegation List

XI. Concluding observations on the combined fifth and sixth periodic reports of Israel

(Links to CRC – Convention on the Rights of the Child – OHCHR)

19 September 2024

The UN Child Rights Committee (CRC) today issued its findings on Israel. The findings contain the Committee’s main concerns and recommendations on implementing the Child Rights Convention, as well as positive aspects. Key highlights include:

Israel

The Committee welcomed the establishment of a Government Unit for Coordination of the Rights of Children and Youth and the measures taken to support the large number of children displaced following the October 7 attacks. However, it expressed concerns about the negative impact of the attacks and the ongoing armed conflict on the mental health and well-being of children, as well as the long waiting lists for those seeking mental health services. The Committee recommended that the State party strengthen the accessibility and range of child-sensitive trauma-focused mental health services, and urgently address the long waiting times.

The Committee was greatly concerned about the high number of children in Gaza killed, maimed, injured, missing, displaced, orphaned and subjected to famine, malnutrition and disease, as a result of the State party’s indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks. It urged the State party to immediately cease the killing and injuring of Palestinian children in Gaza, to ensure safe and unrestricted humanitarian access to and within the Gaza Strip, and to allow entry of all construction materials necessary for Palestinian families to rebuild homes and civilian and public infrastructure.

The Committee was deeply concerned about the continued abduction, arbitrary arrest, and prolonged detention of large numbers of Palestinian children by Israeli forces, mostly without charge, trial or access to legal representation or contact with family members. It urged the State party to immediately end the arbitrary and administrative detention of children, to release all Palestinian children who have been arbitrarily detained, and to abolish the institutionalized system of detention and the use of torture and ill-treatment against them at all stages of the judicial procedure.