UN warns Israeli settlers could join blacklist for violations against children

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday 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 world body's annual report on Children and Armed Conflict recorded 38,558 "grave violations" globally in 2025, affecting 24,174 children, the latter figure a record since CAAC's mandate began in 1996.



The data showed 14,224 children killed or maimed, with a 34% rise over 2024 in the number killed to 6,266. It said the United Nations had verified the killing of 2,668 Palestinian children in Gaza and 57 in the West Bank.



The Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, according to Israeli figures. Israel responded with a large-scale military campaign that has since killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.