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On World Children’s Day, Israel Directly Targets Palestinian Minors

Two Palestinian children help their father transport furniture in Gaza Strip yesterday (AFP)
Two Palestinian children help their father transport furniture in Gaza Strip yesterday (AFP)
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On World Children’s Day, Israel Directly Targets Palestinian Minors

Two Palestinian children help their father transport furniture in Gaza Strip yesterday (AFP)
Two Palestinian children help their father transport furniture in Gaza Strip yesterday (AFP)

Israel killed 15 Palestinian students and detained 1,194 minors from the beginning of this year until the end of October, the Ministry of Education and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) said in two separate statements marking the World Children’s Day.

They revealed that Israel “directly targets,” kills and arrests children, a matter denied by Tel Aviv.

The Ministry said that the Israeli occupation forces carried out more than 100 raids against schools, firing teargas and rubber and live bullets at the students.

It called on world countries and institutions to protect the children and students of Palestine, and their right to education. It also urged to take a stand against the occupation and the repressive practices of its army and settlers through the continuous targeting of children.

The PPS said that 160 Palestinian minors are currently held in three Israeli prisons.

Since 2000, Israel has arrested at least 19,000 Palestinian minors aged between 10 to 18 years old, according to the NGO.

Based on documented testimonies of child detainees; two-thirds of the detained children were subjected to one or more forms of physical torture, while all detainees were psychologically tortured.

"This is a grave violation of international law, especially the Convention against Torture and the Convention on the Rights of the Child," said the PPS in its statement.

"Starting from the moment of their arrest, children undergo harsh interrogation," it added.

It said that the Israeli occupation courts issue unfair sentences against minors following the amendments introduced to some laws related to Palestinian minors.

In the same context, the Mezan Center For Human Rights demanded the international community to act urgently and effectively to put an end to the Israeli violations targeting Palestinian children.

World Children's Day is celebrated globally on the 20th of November every year.

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HRW: Both Warring Parties in Sudan Acquired New Weapons

Women shout slogans as they take part in a demonstration on the opening day of Sudan ceasefire talks, in Geneva, on August 14, 2024. (AFP)
Women shout slogans as they take part in a demonstration on the opening day of Sudan ceasefire talks, in Geneva, on August 14, 2024. (AFP)
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HRW: Both Warring Parties in Sudan Acquired New Weapons

Women shout slogans as they take part in a demonstration on the opening day of Sudan ceasefire talks, in Geneva, on August 14, 2024. (AFP)
Women shout slogans as they take part in a demonstration on the opening day of Sudan ceasefire talks, in Geneva, on August 14, 2024. (AFP)

Both warring parties in Sudan, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have newly acquired modern foreign-made weapons and military equipment, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released on Monday.

It called on the UN Security Council to renew and expand the arms embargo and its restrictions on the Darfur region to all of Sudan and hold violators to account.

HRW said it analyzed 49 photos and videos, most apparently filmed by fighters from both sides, posted on the social media platforms Facebook, Telegram, TikTok, and X, showing weapons used or captured in the conflict.

The apparently new equipment includes armed drones, drone jammers, anti-tank guided missiles, truck-mounted multi-barrel rocket launchers, and mortar munitions, and are produced by companies registered in China, Iran, Russia and Serbia.

Although HRW did not specify how the warring parties acquired the new equipment, it noted that the Sudan conflict is one of the world’s worst humanitarian and human rights crises.

“The warring parties are committing atrocities with impunity, and the newly acquired weapons and equipment are likely to be used in the commission of further crimes,” it said.

HRW warned that the SAF and the RSF may use such weapons and equipment to continue to commit war crimes and other serious human rights violations not just in Darfur, but across the country.

It said the UN Security Council is expected to decide on September 11 whether to renew the Sudan sanctions regime, which prohibits the transfer of military equipment to the Darfur region.

The organization noted that since April 2023, the new conflict has affected most of Sudan’s states, but Security Council members have yet to take steps to expand the arms embargo to the whole country.

HRW said its findings demonstrate both the inadequacy of the current Darfur-only embargo and the grave risks posed by the acquisition of new weapons by the warring parties.

“A countrywide arms embargo would contribute to addressing these issues by facilitating the monitoring of transfers to Darfur and preventing the legal acquisition of weapons for use in other parts of Sudan,” it stressed.

The NGO said that the Sudanese government has opposed an expansion of the arms embargo and in recent months has lobbied members of the Security Council to end the sanctions regime and remove the Darfur embargo altogether.

“The prevalence of atrocities by the warring parties creates a real risk that weapons or equipment acquired by the parties would most likely be used to perpetuate serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law, harming civilians,” HRW wrote in its report.

It therefore called on the Security Council to publicly condemn individual governments that are violating the existing arms embargo on Darfur and take urgently needed measures to sanction individuals and entities that are violating the embargo.