UN official: Israeli occupation killed 1,300 Palestinian children since 2000

A UN official has confirmed that Israel’s occupation forces have killed more than 1,300 Palestinian children during the last decade.

According to Prof. Richard Falk, the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Israeli forces killed 1,335 children in direct military operations and arbitrary shootings. He pointed out that 17 children were killed in 2010 alone while collecting stones in the borders areas between Gaza and Israel. They were attempting to help their families rebuild their homes. Israel continues to prevent the import of building material into the Strip.

Prof. Falk made these disclosures at a press conference in the Jordanian capital Amman on Monday 2nd April. He said the occupation currently detains about 226 children in its prisons without any charge.

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The UN official who is prevented by Israel from entering the territories to carry out his duties said the prolongation of the occupation’s blockade of Gaza and its human rights violations would further damage the mental and physical health of children in the Strip.

 

Falk called on the UN to intensify its efforts to ensure that Israel adheres to international law, emphasising that its persistent failure to do so indicates a programme of systematic racial discrimination against the Palestinians.