On 23 June 2025 at the 59th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, Defence for Children International on behalf of Palestine (DCI-P) called for immediate international action to end the genocide of Palestinian children in Gaza.
“For Palestinian children and families, the time to discuss the prevention of genocide is long gone, the time to end it is now,” DCI-Palestine stated, condemning Israel’s ongoing siege and military campaign as a deliberate effort to starve and annihilate Gaza’s population.
More than 50,000 children have been killed or maimed over the past 20 months, according to UNICEF. Today, one million children in Gaza face starvation, a direct result of Israel’s blockade and systematic obstruction of humanitarian aid.
DCI-Palestine urged all Member States to take immediate steps, including ending the siege on Gaza, imposing a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel, protecting the independence of the ICJ and ICC, and dismantling the structures of occupation and apartheid.
“Even one starving child is not an accident. One million children suffering under a calculated starvation campaign is genocide. The international community must act — now.”
Read the statement in its entirety here (in English).
Watch the Delivered Statement: