Israeli army on UN blacklist for 3rd year over child 'grave violations'

The United Nations has placed the Israeli armed and security forces on its annual blacklist for the third consecutive year, ranking the government first among states committing grave violations against children in armed conflict during 2025, according to a report seen Wednesday in Hamilton, Canada.

Record violations in 2025

The yet-to-be-released report documented 38,558 grave violations affecting 24,174 children across conflict zones in 2025, marking the highest figure since the Children and Armed Conflict mandate began three decades ago. Government forces served as the main perpetrators of such violations for the first time in the mandate's history, with state actors responsible for the majority of documented incidents, a senior UN official said.

Israel leads state perpetrators

Israel topped the list of countries committing grave violations, followed by Russia, while the Occupied Palestinian Territory recorded 12,445 verified incidents — the highest number of any conflict zone globally. The report noted a 34% increase in killings and a 10% rise in injuries among children compared with the previous year, with 6,266 children killed and 7,958 injured worldwide during the reporting period.

Guterres condemns 'staggering rise'

Guterres stated in the report that he is "appalled by the magnitude of grave violations against children" in the region. "I am shocked by the ongoing grave violations in the Gaza Strip, and I am deeply alarmed by the escalating violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem," he said, denouncing the "staggering rise in attacks" and the "persistent lack of accountability for these violations." The report also verified 6,607 cases of child recruitment, 8,322 incidents of denied humanitarian access, and 4,573 abductions across all conflict zones.