War Child Calls to End Violence In East Jerusalem and Gaza
May 12, 2021
Protest Against Planned Evictions
Palestinians throughout Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory have been protesting against planned evictions of families from their homes in East Jerusalem. These protests have been met with excessive force from the Israeli police and forces, resulting in injuries and casualties, including of children.
Rockets fired from Gaza into Israel have killed two and injured dozens, including a child. Israel’s air strike attacks have killed 24 Palestinian civilians, including 10 children, and injured more than 100 people. One family has lost all three children.
Growing Sense of Hopelessness
“The impact of the flare up of violence on children and youth is severe - both in terms of their physical safety and psychosocial wellbeing,” says War Child director in the occupied Palestinian territory Maha El-Sheikh. “Children grow up with the constant threat of violence. They are not safe at home, school, places of worship - anywhere. The resulting psychological distress is evident and has recently been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a growing sense of hopelessness that is both very worrying and dangerous.”
War Child, together with local organisations, is continuing its support for children, families and communities both in the West Bank and Gaza as far as possible - and is planning to intensify psychosocial support for children and caregivers in the coming weeks.
War Child works to uphold the rights of children like Amal, who call the West Bank home
Photo: Larissa Koekkoek
We have been distributing Covid-19 emergency kits to protect families in Gaza and the West Bank
Photo: War Child
Calls to Uphold the Rights of Children
Children should never live in terror - and should be protected from all forms of violence at all times. War Child urges the Israeli authorities to fulfil their obligations under international humanitarian law - including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The Israeli authorities should immediately halt the use of excessive force against Palestinians civilians and children, and end the detention of children. There should be unhindered access for humanitarian support, in particular for children and other vulnerable groups, and vaccinations against COVID-19.
War Child calls on all parties to prevent any further escalation and protect all civilians and children. “Unless the violence stops, even more children could be killed or injured in the coming days,” warns El-Sheikh.
