Children’s Rights in Palestine: Evidence, Accountability, and Action at HRC 62

“We are meeting at the moment that demands moral clarity and institutional courage.” – Mr. Kamarotos, Defence for Children International, Executive Director  

On 25 June 2026, Defence for Children International (DCI) hosted a side event during the 62nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council entitled “Children’s Rights in Palestine Under Attack: Evidence and Accountability in Child‑Centred Dialogue with the UN Commission of Inquiry.” 

The discussion focused on the findings of the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel (Commission), presented in its latest report “The essence of childhood has been destroyed”: Israel’s deliberate targeting of Palestinian children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since 7 October 2023.   

The panel featured the three commission members, Chair Mr. Srinivasan Muralidhar, Ms. Florence Mumba, and Mr. Chris Sidoti, along with Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health. The discussion was moderated by the Executive Director of Defence for Children International, Mr. Alex Kamarotos. 

Throughout the discussion, the Commissioners reflected on the process of documenting violations against Palestinian children and explained how children’s testimonies, medical evidence, satellite imagery and witness accounts informed the Commission’s findings. Their presentations highlighted the central place of children’s experiences in understanding the broader humanitarian and legal consequences of the conflict.  

Presenting the report’s findings, the Commissioners noted that between 7 October 2023 and 7 October 2025, at least 20,179 Palestinian children were killed and 44,143 were injured as a direct result of hostilities in Gaza. Many more children lost their lives as indirect consequences of Israeli policies, including forced starvation, displacement, and the denial of medical aid.  

Speakers stressed that these figures represent more than statistics. They reflect the widespread destruction of childhood, family life, education, healthcare and protection systems that children depend upon, with consequences that will continue to affect future generations.   

The Commission Chair, Mr. Muralidhar, reported that, “the Israeli authorities and the Israeli security forces have deliberately targeted and killed Palestinian children and destroyed their childhood, resulting in genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in the Gaza Strip and war crimes in the West Bank.”   

The Commissioners asserted the Israeli government systematically and deliberately planned its attack on Palestinian children. They highlighted evidence of children being deliberately targeted, the use of high-impact weapons against civilian areas and displacement camps, attacks on orphanages, and the role of settler violence in facilitating the expansion of settlements and the forced displacement of Palestinians.  

They also described the humanitarian consequences of Israel’s restrictions, including the obstruction of humanitarian aid, denial of education and healthcare, the deprivation of liberty of children, deprivation of food leading to starvation, and documented cases of sexual violence, and humiliation committed against Palestinian children.  

 “Children constitute the social and biological continuity of the Palestinian people…. And hitting them will have the maximum impact,” Mr. Muralidhar commented.  

Building on the Commission’s findings, Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng examined the crisis through the lens of the right to health, highlighting how attacks on hospitals, healthcare workers and medical infrastructure compound the suffering experienced by children and their families.   

Dr. Mofokeng remarked that this genocide is constitutive of what she calls “medicide”. “Even those who do survive initial attacks have no health system that is comprehensive, that is truly able to provide them their care to actually then survive. And this is the definition of a genocide and the definition of ethnic cleansing”. 

Beyond documenting violations, panellists emphasised that accountability remains essential to preventing further abuses. The Commission’s report provided concrete and practical recommendations to the state of Israel, the United Nations, and the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.  

Mr. Sidoti commented, “There should be steps to cut off all support of any kind to the Israeli military and the Israeli arms industry. There should be, in accordance with the decision of the International Court of Justice, no action in any way that confirms the existence of settlements in Palestine, and that means cutting off all forms of financial relationship with the settlements that may in any way assist their economic sustainability. States must be held accountable for their action and inaction”. 

The discussion concluded with a reminder that documenting violations is itself an act of protection. Preserving evidence and centring survivors’ testimonies remain essential for future accountability efforts.  

Ms. Mumba made clear the impact of reporting, citing examples from the Balkans to Cambodia. “Justice may appear to be far away, but it does come… Those of you who are collecting evidence should continue collecting evidence because what the courts need is credible evidence.”  

Dr. Mofokeng remarked, “the system of imperialist violence is working as it has been intended to work, to terrorise people to make examples of those who speak up and to continue to punch down on people who are seeking justice.”  

The side event underscored the urgent and non-negotiable need for sustained international action to protect Palestinian children and ensure accountability for grave violations of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and international criminal law. 

Participants called upon all stakeholders, Member States, UN bodies, and civil society, to act without delay on the detailed, targeted recommendations set out at the close of this landmark report of the Commission of Inquiry.