The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, said on Monday that she is “aware of the daily crimes committed against Palestinian children.” She is said to have expressed her anger with such crimes in a meeting with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki in Ramallah.
Gamba affirmed her cooperation and coordination with the Palestinian Authority “to protect Palestinian children in light of the escalating Israeli violations and settlers’ violence.” She stressed that the essence of her work is to ensure the protection of children in conflict areas, and that, according to her legal mandate, she has the authority to visit conflict areas and hold meetings and talks with the parties in the regions to urge them to provide protection for children from violence and crimes.
At the same time, she stressed that this visit will not be the last. She looks forward to cooperating with the Palestinian government and providing special training for workers in the Palestinian ministries.
READ: UN Envoy visits Palestine to investigate Israel violations against children
The UN official also said that she looks forward to visiting Palestine once again to meet with NGOs “to discuss ways of cooperation and dialogue on the violations and crimes of the occupation forces and settlers.”
Gamba is on a visit to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. She will meet with the families of the Palestinian child victims to hear from them about “the grave violations that rise to the level of crimes committed by the occupation forces against Palestinian children.”
During her meeting with Al-Maliki, she received a report that include details of Israel’s “systematic and deliberate crimes against the Palestinian children, which fall within the framework of Security Council Resolution 1612 (2005).” This resolution covers the killing and maiming of children, targeting schools and hospitals, sexual assaults, kidnapping of children and denying access to humanitarian and medical aid.