UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned that Israeli settler groups could be added to a global blacklist for violations against children as he voiced alarm at a staggering rise in violations against Palestinian children. The UN’s annual report on Children and Armed Conflict recorded 38,558 grave violations globally in 2025 affecting over 24,000 children.
The data showed 14,224 children killed or maimed, with a 34 percent rise in the number killed, and the United Nations verified the killing of 2,668 Palestinian children in Gaza and 57 in the West Bank. Countries with the highest levels of violations in 2025 were the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Myanmar, and Somalia.
Guterres stated that he is appalled by the magnitude of grave violations against children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, notably by the widespread use of explosive weapons in populated areas, and deeply alarmed at the staggering rise in attacks carried out by Israeli settlers resulting in grave violations against Palestinian children. He added that Israeli settler groups should be listed if the high number of violations is repeated in 2026.
The report said 9,465 grave violations were attributed to Israeli forces and 326 to Israeli settlers, with grave violations defined as including the killing and maiming of children, rape and other forms of sexual violence, and attacks on schools and hospitals.
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