The draft of the UN’s forthcoming annual report on children affected by conflicts, slated for release in June 2025, continues to reflect an inherent imbalance and a clear anti-Israel bias. Notably, the document fails to acknowledge some of the youngest Israeli victims, such as Kfir and Ariel Bibas, who were tragically killed while in captivity in Gaza and whose remains were returned in a recent hostage exchange. The report also neglects to mention the 12 children killed by a Hezbollah rocket in Majdal Shams.
The report appears to exaggerate figures, include unverifiable data, and deflect responsibility away from terrorist groups for their role in harming children. Israel was provided with a draft for review, but the country reacted with surprise and indignation at the UN’s apparent disregard and double standards, deciding not to engage further with the report. Among its many flaws, the report accuses the IDF of using 27 Palestinian children as “human shields,” while only offering a vague reference to Hamas’ consistent use of civilians in such a manner, without corroborating any specific instances.
The report includes the allegation that Israeli security forces “kidnapped a Palestinian girl,” but fails to name Kfir and Ariel Bibas, even though they too were victims of abduction and murder. The language in the draft simply states that the Bibas children “died in captivity,” without specifying that their deaths occurred at the hands of their captors. The report also faults Israel for inflicting harm on children through fragments from rocket interceptors during Iranian missile attacks but conveniently omits the fact that these attacks originated with Iran.
On the subject of humanitarian aid, the UN places the lion’s share of responsibility on Israel, while almost entirely disregarding Hamas’ destruction of aid routes and its diversion of supplies meant for Palestinians in Gaza, a fact supported by numerous accounts and evidence. The report highlights that 2,723 requests for aid were denied but downplays the far greater figure of 5,327 requests that were granted.
Concerning Palestinian casualties, the report presents a highly inflated and often unverifiable count of deaths and injuries, giving a misleading impression of the events’ scale. It lays almost all the blame on Israel, while exonerating Hamas entirely and giving only brief, marginal mentions to Hezbollah and Iran, further revealing the document’s bias. The report also asserts that the IDF used schools and hospitals for military purposes in 10 separate instances, yet it only mentions one case of Hamas using civilian infrastructure for military activities — even though it is well-documented that numerous “innocent” buildings in Gaza were actually used for terror operations.
The pattern continues in the northern front reports. In Lebanon, most of the harm to children is attributed to Israel, but Hezbollah’s actions are not even acknowledged. Likewise, in Syria, Israeli military actions are included in the casualty count, yet the deaths of 12 children in Majdal Shams are completely omitted.
The draft relies heavily on unverified data to paint Israel in a negative light while downplaying the serious violations committed by terror groups. It claims that the UN “verified” 8,555 grave violations affecting 2,960 children, with only 15 of those cases involving Israeli children, while the rest pertain to Palestinians. A large proportion of these incidents occurred in Gaza, with thousands more in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Additionally, in 2023, 2,788 “serious violations” were confirmed in Gaza, compared to just one in Israel. The UN has also reported 4,230 child fatalities in Gaza for 2024, with the verification process still underway.
In response, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, issued a strong condemnation of the report, stating: “We will not cooperate with a report that serves as a platform for baseless accusations against Israel. The Secretary-General once again chooses to blatantly ignore the harm done to Israeli children — as far as he’s concerned, our lives are worth less and don’t deserve to be included in this report. We will not let diplomatic terrorism prevail.”
{Matzav.com}
this is not the IN anymore – it is the United ARAB Nations headquartered in the US
Why does anyone give the UN the respect of quoting them. They are a group of the lowest humans on earth. Stop giving them any media coverage. Let’s hope that Trump will throw them out of the U.S. Let them relocate in Iran.