{"id":311010,"date":"2025-09-09T14:41:05","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T18:41:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=311010"},"modified":"2025-09-09T14:41:05","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T18:41:05","slug":"un-child-rights-committee-press-release-09sep25","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/un-child-rights-committee-press-release-09sep25\/","title":{"rendered":"Gaza: UN child rights committee condemns using starvation of children as weapon of war"},"content":{"rendered":"

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09 September 2025<\/p>\n

GENEVA\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 The\u00a0UN Committee on the Rights of the Child<\/a><\/em>\u00a0expressed its deepest concern today over the catastrophic impact on children of the ongoing hostilities in Gaza, ahead of the upcoming 80th United Nations General Assembly session, and urgently reiterated its calls for decisive action by all States, and in particular by Israel as a de facto occupying force.<\/p>\n

The Committee highlighted that the famine has now taken hold in Gaza. Malnutrition among children is accelerating at a catastrophic pace. The Committee echoed the\u00a0multiple UN agencies\u2019 warning<\/a><\/em>\u00a0that, without immediate and unhindered humanitarian access, the manmade famine will spread, and more children will die.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Committee is gravely concerned about the denial of basic necessities for survival. Children in Gaza are enduring unimaginable suffering due to acute malnutrition, starvation and conditions of famine,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEssential services have also collapsed: safe drinking water, sanitation, and adequate health care are non-existent. Civilian infrastructure has been essentially destroyed, leaving children deprived of the minimum conditions required for survival and development,\u201d the Committee added.<\/p>\n

At the same time, children continue to be direct victims of ongoing military attacks. Over the weekend, the Israeli army intensified its bombardment of Gaza City, repeatedly striking residential towers and leaving them in ruins.<\/p>\n

\u201cConfirmed reports indicate horrific levels of killing, maiming, and widespread violence against children.\u00a0 Countless children have lost parents, siblings, and extended family members, leaving them in profound grief and with extreme psychological trauma that will affect their lives for years to come,\u201d the Committee said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsrael\u2019s ongoing actions constitute outright violations that strike at the very heart of the rights enshrined in the\u00a0Convention on the Rights of the Child<\/a><\/em>,\u201d the Committee stressed.<\/p>\n

The Committee urged Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza. It also demanded the release of all hostages by Palestinian armed groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsrael must take immediate action to end its obstruction of humanitarian aid and must guarantee that unrestricted, sustained and secure assistance reaches the people of Gaza. It must take measures to protect children in Gaza from further harm, and respect and uphold their inherent rights and dignity in full compliance with the Convention,\u201d the Committee said.<\/p>\n

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Read more\u00a0on this issue:<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n