United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that Israeli settler groups could be added to a global blacklist for grave violations against children if the current pattern of abuses continues.

United Nations’ recent annual report on Children and Armed Conflict indicated a record number of grave violations against children worldwide in 2025.

According to the report, 38,558 grave violations were detected worldwide, affecting 24,174 children the greatest number recorded since the monitoring mechanism was formed nearly three decades ago.

The report paints a deeply troubling picture of the growing toll of armed conflicts on children across multiple regions, with the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel emerging as the area recording the highest number of verified violations during the year.

Other countries highlighted for severe levels of abuse included the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Myanmar and Somalia.

The growing humanitarian crisis impacting Palestinian children is at the heart of the report. 2,668 Palestinian children were killed in Gaza and 57 in the West Bank in 2025, according to UN investigators.

The results add to a larger worldwide trend that witnessed a sharp rise in the number of youngsters murdered in war areas.

Overall, the report recorded 14,224 cases of children being killed or maimed worldwide, including a 34 percent increase in child deaths compared with the previous year. A total of 6,266 children were confirmed killed across various conflict zones, underscoring what the United Nations describes as an alarming deterioration in child protection during armed conflicts.

The conflict in Gaza has remained one of the most devastating theatres of violence affecting children. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters launched an attack on southern Israel that Israeli authorities say killed approximately 1,200 people.

Israel subsequently launched a large-scale military campaign in Gaza, resulting in widespread destruction and tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths according to Palestinian authorities and humanitarian organisations.

Against this background, Guterres stated, “I am 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.”

The UN Chief further pointed out that Israeli settlers in the occupied Palestinian areas were responsible for a notable increase in violence and warned that further violations could result in official international condemnation.

According to the report, Israeli forces were linked to 9,465 verified grave violations against children during the reporting period, while Israeli settlers were attributed with 326 violations.

The report further noted that grave violations include the killing and maiming of children, sexual violence, abductions, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access.

For the first time, the report specifically identifies Israeli settler groups as potential candidates for future inclusion on the UN’s blacklist if similar levels of violations are recorded in 2026.

Global Child Protection Crisis Deepens as Violations Reach Record High

While the report places considerable focus on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, it also highlights a broader global crisis affecting children trapped in armed conflicts.

The annual Children and Armed Conflict report serves as one of the United Nations’ most comprehensive monitoring mechanisms for documenting abuses against children in war zones.

The latest findings indicate that children are increasingly bearing the brunt of modern conflicts, with attacks on civilian infrastructure, displacement and prolonged insecurity exposing millions to heightened risks.

According to a senior UN official the report noted that the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel recorded the highest levels of verified violations in 2025, followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Myanmar and Somalia.

Many of these countries continue to face protracted conflicts involving armed groups, political instability and humanitarian crises that have weakened child protection systems and limited access to education, healthcare and essential services.

The report also maintains the blacklisting of Hamas’ armed wing and affiliated factions. UN investigators attributed 2,806 grave violations against children to Palestinian armed groups, including cases involving killings, injuries and abductions.

The continued inclusion of Hamas on the blacklist reflects the United Nations’ longstanding position that all parties to conflict bear responsibility for protecting children, regardless of political or military affiliations.

The latest report comes amid already strained relations between Israel and the United Nations. Only weeks earlier, Guterres angered Israeli authorities after Israel was added to a separate UN blacklist of countries and parties suspected of committing conflict-related sexual violence.

That decision prompted a strong reaction from Israel’s foreign ministry, which announced that it would sever all ties with the UN Secretary-General.

The new report is therefore likely to intensify diplomatic tensions, particularly given its focus on settler violence and the possibility of future blacklisting.