For more than two and a half years, Palestinian children have endured a level of violence, deprivation and displacement that no child should ever experience.
Palestinian children have been killed and maimed by explosive weapons, repeatedly displaced from their homes, deprived of education and healthcare and subjected to profound psychological trauma. At least 19 Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli forces in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) so far in July [1]. In Gaza, at least 265 children have been killed since the October 2025 ‘ceasefire’ agreement, according to UNICEF – an average of one child a week.
This is not peace for Palestinian children.
In June 2026, an independent UN Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israeli security forces and authorities have deliberately targeted Palestinian children resulting in genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza, and war crimes in the West Bank.
Our staff have described children holding funerals for their dolls and playing games that mirror the violence of the conflict around their daily lives. These are stark illustrations of the trauma being inflicted on an entire generation.
These conditions do not exist in a vacuum. They have persisted because Israel’s allies, including the UK, have afforded it impunity, military, political and economic support and diplomatic cover, despite mounting evidence of grave violations of international law.
The new UK Government has a responsibility, a moral and legal obligation, to end policies that risk enabling atrocities committed against Palestinian children. The new Prime Minister Andy Burnham was right to say that the UK must "do more to put pressure on the Israeli Government". This new UK Government must now make good on the Prime Minister’s words and reset the UK's approach to ensure it protects Palestinian children and upholds international law.
That action should begin with three clear steps:
Ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements
Suspend the UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement
Suspend all arms exports to Israel, including parts for F-35 fighter jets.
Taking these actions would be a vital first step, and clear signal of a different approach.
The UK Government’s complicity in atrocities
Every child’s life is equal and precious. The laws designed to protect children are universal and non-negotiable. The UK is legally – and morally – obliged to always uphold them.
Yet despite more than two years of mounting evidence of atrocity crimes across the oPt, the UK Government’s response has fallen far short of what international law - and basic humanity - demands.
While the UK Government has partially suspended arms export licenses to Israel, paused negotiations on an enhanced trade agreement and sanctioned individuals linked to extremist settler violence, these measures remain inadequate when set against the scale of the atrocities committed by Israeli forces and authorities.
It has continued policies and practices that risk enabling violations of international law. The UK Government continues to permit the export of British-made components for F-35 fighter jets, maintains the existing UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement, and failed to ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements which fuels their expansion. The UK Government has also failed to actively support international investigations and accountability mechanisms or consistently condemn ongoing atrocities committed by Israeli forces and authorities, risking contributing to the impunity that allows Palestinian children's suffering to continue.
The F-35 exemption
The exemption for components used in the F-35 fighter jet programme is one of the clearest examples of the gap between the UK’s stated commitment to international law and its actions.
When partially suspending arms export licenses to Israel in September 2024, the Government made the political decision to continue permitting exports linked to the global F-35 programme. It argued that a full suspension would undermine an international supply chain considered important to UK and NATO security.
But compliance with international law is not optional – and indeed, fundamental to the UK’s national security. The Government has acknowledged the risk that F-35 components could be used in operations that violate international law yet continue to authorise their transfer.
The consequences of that decision are not abstract. Children are particularly vulnerable to the devastating effects of air-delivered explosive weapons, they are seven times more likely than adults to die from blast injuries because of their developing bodies.
A deeply troubling double standard
The UK Government’s approach to oPt represents a clear double standard in how international law is applied and defended.
In other contexts including Ukraine, Sudan, Syria, and crimes committed against the Yazidis in Iraq, the UK Government has publicly condemned atrocities and taken concrete political action to help protect civilians. These have included sanctions against state and non-state actors, trade restrictions, support for international investigations, funding for accountability mechanisms, diplomatic pressure and public condemnation of atrocities.
At a time when the rules-based international system is under growing strain, consistency matters. The UK cannot claim to defend international law in some contexts while failing to uphold it in others.
When international law is applied selectively, every child becomes less safe. For Palestinian children, the consequences are immediate and devastating. But the damage extends far beyond the oPt, weakening the protections that children everywhere depend on in times of conflict.
The UK Government must change course.
Palestinian children cannot afford further delay.
How can our supporters help?
Our teams in Gaza and the West Bank have been operating since 1953 and have maintained a permanent presence throughout the conflict. If you'd like to help us keep reaching children with healthcare, food and support across the world while we push for change, you can give monthly here.
Frequently asked questions
How many children have been killed in Gaza? More than 21,000 children have been killed since October 2023 — around one child every hour over nearly two years of war. At least 21,000 more are living with permanent disabilities, and thousands more remain missing, presumed buried under rubble.
Is Save the Children still operating in Gaza? Yes. We've worked in the occupied Palestinian territory since 1953 and have maintained a permanent presence in Gaza throughout the war, running emergency health units and primary healthcare centres, and providing mental health support, clean water and food assistance.
Is Save the Children a reputable charity for Gaza? We're registered with the Fundraising Regulator and publish full financial accounts every year, showing exactly how donations are used — including on emergency healthcare, cash assistance, clean water, safe spaces for children, and the advocacy work behind asks like these.
[1] The figure of 19 children killed in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) since the beginning of July is based on Save the Children's monitoring of publicly reported child fatalities during the month. The total reflects reported incidences published by media outlets and is subject to change as further reports are verified or additional information becomes available.
