Background  Between 1 May and 31 July 2007, Gaza witnessed an escalation in both internal Palestinian hostilities and increased Israeli military attacks. During these three months, 36 children were killed in the oPt as a direct result of the conflict, 21 by the Israeli military and 15 in fighting between Palestinian factions. Direct attacks on schools and increased movement restrictions during this period disrupted the high school matriculation exams (Tawjihi) for Palestinian children.

Focus on education  Internal Palestinian factional violence coupled with Israeli attacks on schools and arrests of students continued, especially as students sat for the high school matriculation examination (Tawjihi). This exam is crucial for students seeking to enrol in college locally or abroad. More than 50,000 students sat for the Tawjihi in June this year; 24,000 of them in Gaza. Most were forced to take the exam under curfew or while there was fighting in the streets. In Gaza, some 200 students missed the exam due to internal fighting. The Ministry of Education closed nine exam centres in Gaza City and three in Khan Younis because of internal fighting. In Bethlehem, Israeli soldiers detained teachers and students on their way to school to take Tawjihi exams. In Nablus, the Israeli military fired teargas canisters nearby while students sat their exams; seven students were unable to sit the exam due to curfew. Direct military attacks and curfews Six PA- and UNRWA-run schools were closed because of Israeli military operations or curfews imposed by the Israeli army. The Israeli army used a school in Khan Younis, Gaza, as a detention facility (20 June). Al Bureij and Foukhari reported 50% attendance in their summer camps, as students could not come as a result of two separate Israeli military incursions. Abu Tu'aima school, also in Khan Younis, was closed on 25 July. On 12 July, Israeli Border Police closed a summer camp in Wadi Al Joz, in Jerusalem. Two schools in Sderot, Israel, were damaged by Qassam rockets during the reporting period. [Source: OCHA] - Israeli incursions, curfews and teacher strikes caused the loss of 3,209 schooling days for students in the oPt between January and June 2007. [Source: OCHA]         In June, at least 17 attacks on Palestinian schools, incidents resulting in the damage to school property, or disruptions due to nearby military operations were recorded. Nine incidents took place in Gaza and eight in the West Bank. Ten of these incidents resulted from internal Palestinian fighting and seven resulted from Israeli military activity. [Source: OCHA] Teachers' strike and fiscal crisis Since the beginning of 2007, the education system has faced periodic teachers' strikes protesting irregular salary payments. After Hamas' parliamentary election victory in February 2006, the international community froze aid and Israel stopped transferring Palestinian tax revenues used to pay the public sector. The strike and government fiscal crisis damaged morale among educators, spurring resignations and private sector moonlighting among well-qualified staff. In preparation for the 2007-2008 school year, schools reported that textbooks were in short supply, and many schools indicated a shortage in resources needed to improve teaching and to arrange for teacher training opportunities, affecting the quality of education.

Political and security background  After the collapse of the 11 June ceasefire between Fatah and Hamas forces, unprecedented fighting spread throughout Gaza, ending on 14 June when Hamas effectively took control of all major security installations. The fighting left many casualties; 193 Palestinians died and 866 were injured in the month of June alone. In the three-month reporting period, 278 Palestinians were killed and 1,269 injured in internal Palestinian violence in Gaza. [Source: OCHA] From May through July, Israel launched several attacks on the Gaza Strip. A hundred and seven Palestinians were killed in direct conflict -related incidents and 302 were injured in these attacks. [Source: OCHA]. Between May and July: - Number of Israeli air strikes in the oPt: 92 - Number of Qassam rockets (fired from Gaza towards Israel): 559 - Israeli airstrikes resulted in the deaths of nine Palestinian children; Palestinian homemade rockets left no casualties. [Source: OCHA and DCI/PS] The West Bank remained relatively calm, but in separate attacks by Israeli soldiers and settlers 24 Palestinians were killed and 208 injured. [Source: OCHA] The oPt was placed under a state of emergency for 30 days after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas disbanded the Hamas-led national unity government and swore in a new emergency government on 16 June. A caretaker government was installed on 13 July. After Hamas took control of Gaza, the border crossings were nearly completely closed, preventing the normal flow of fuel, building materials, food and medical supplies into Gaza, where 85% of the population lives below a poverty line of $2.41 a day [Source: OCHA]. The closures have been maintained despite repeated calls from the UN, including from Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, for Israel to open the crossings ( 9 July, 10 July, 13 July, 19 July). The UN has warned that Gaza could imminently become 100% dependent on aid [Source: UN press release].

Child rights violations  This section outlines major child rights violations related to the monitoring and reporting mechanism set up by Security Council Resolution 1612: Killing and maiming During the reporting period, 36 children were killed in the oPt: 21 as a result of Israeli military activity, and 15 as a result of internal Palestinian fighting. Most of them (33) were killed in Gaza, and most of them (32) were boys, according to DCI/PS. Among the 36 killed, seven were killed by unexploded ordnance. June was the deadliest month in 2007 for Palestinian children, with a total of 20 children killed. There were no reports of deaths or injuries of Israeli children during this period. Recruitment A 16-year-old boy from Hebron, arrested on 28 May and interviewed on 19 July at Ashkelon interrogation and detention centre by a lawyer from DCI International, stated he had been asked to become a collaborator while under interrogation. He reports being subjected to acts of torture and detained in solitary confinement for 35 days. [Source: DCI/PS] Sexual abuse No data available for the reporting period. Abduction A 15-year-old boy from a village near Nablus was reportedly abducted on 24 July and beaten by three Israeli settlers until he lost consciousness. He was then taken to their nearby settlement and further assaulted. The settlers then took the boy to a third location and removed his pants and underwear, beating him in his genital area. The assault continued until the boy once again lost consciousness, only to wake up alone in an area some kilometres from his village. The boy was hospitalised for five days after the incident. (See DCI/PS Case Study) Attacks against schools and hospitals See Focus on Education. Denial of humanitarian access/Freedom of movement In July 2007, there were 541 manned and unmanned obstacles in the West Bank (including checkpoints, roadblocks, trenches and earth mounds). The average number of random or 'flying' checkpoints was 113. [Source: OCHA] In May through July, 127 hours of curfew were imposed on different parts of the West Bank. [Source: OCHA] At least 119 incidents of access denial or delay in the West Bank were reported by humanitarian organisations. There were another 119 incidents of ambulances reporting delays at Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank. Ambulances were denied access at checkpoints 96 times. [Source: OCHA] Throughout the reporting period, Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel was closed to Palestinians without special permits. Rafah crossing point between Gaza and Egypt was open for 18% of days in June, 26% of May and closed throughout July. None of the 282 medical referral requests made to cross Erez for treatment in Israel were granted in June. [Source: OCHA]. Arbitrary arrest and detention Israeli military orders allow for the arrest and imprisonment of Palestinian children as young as 12 in the oPt.  There are reports of children being coerced into signing confessions in Hebrew and are tried in Israeli military courts, with no special protection or procedures for children. Between 350 and 400 Palestinian children were held in Israeli detention at any given time during the May-July quarter, according to DCI/PS estimates. Between 10 to 15 of these children are believed to have been held in administrative detention (i.e. without charge or trial). During those three months, DCI/PS received 68 new cases of children needing legal representation and handled 85 cases, 69 of which were closed during the reporting period. At least 16 of the 85 children were refugees, and two of them were girls. Twenty-eight of the children were sentenced to up to six months, eight sentenced to 6-12 months, 24 sentenced to one to three years, and nine sentenced to more than three years in prison. Torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment DCI/PS recorded 53 credible reports of abuse and ill-treatment of children during the period 1 May - 31 July. All children represented by DCI/PS reported being handcuffed and blindfolded during arrest, and being beaten repeatedly. Most reported that their ankles were tied with a cord. Children also reported being left outside in the cold, solitary confinement, denial of food for as long as 12 hours, shouts and insults, refusal of clean clothes or a shower, inappropriate touching, and threats against them or their family members or family property. The interrogation period for children is usually between two hours to several weeks. Almost all children represented by DCI/PS in Israeli military courts confess to the allegations made against them during interrogation before their first court appearance. {Source: DCI/PS] Forced displacement Forced displacement has been identified by UN and other agencies as one of the most pressing issues affecting children in the oPt. Between May and July: - In the West Bank, 7 structures were demolished. - In East Jerusalem, 16 structures were demolished, displacing 68 people. - In Gaza, 19 structures were demolished, three of which were residential.[Source: B'Tselem, OCHA] Approximately 100 residents of Hadidya in the West Bank have been cut off from water and electricity and were given house demolition orders by Israeli authorities. Five of these families lost a court case and as a result signed a commitment to leave the area. [Source: IRIN] The 600 residents of Walajeh near Bethlehem fear displacement as a result of the construction of the wall Israel is building nearby, and two surrounding settlements. [Source: IRIN]

Quick facts  Children make up 52.2% of the oPt population of 4 million [Source: PCBS] 42% of Palestinian children in the oPt are refugees; 69% of children in Gaza are refugees. [Source: PCBS] 42% of households in the Gaza Strip live in extreme poverty ($1.38/day/person) compared to 26% in the West Bank. [Source: UNDP/PAPP] 2 out of 5 children in the oPt live in a poor family. 73% of children between the ages of 10 and 17 work with their families without getting paid. [Source: PCBS] Between 350 and 400 Palestinian children were held in Israeli detention at any time from May to July '07. [Source: DCI/PS] Chronic malnutrition affects 10% of children under five. In Gaza, 50,000 children are malnourished. [Source: UNICEF] Number of students in government, UNRWA and private schools. Source: MoEHE. 2006/07

Education case study  On the morning of 14 June 2007, a 17-year-old boy was shot during an Israeli military curfew in on the city of Qalqiliya and was forced to take his high school matriculation exams (or forfeit them) in hospital before and after his leg was operated on to remove a rubber-coated bullet.        (see DCI/PS Case Study)

Child rights graphs  Numbers of Palestinian children killed in 2007     Source: OCHA Israeli military actions: Child deaths according to circumstance, 1 May - 31 July Source: DCI/PS

About UNSCR 1612  UNSCR 1612 on Children and Armed Conflict, adopted in July 2005, established a monitoring, reporting and compliance mechanism on six grave child rights violations occurring in conflict (killing or maiming; recruitment or use of children; sexual abuse; abduction; attacks against schools or hospitals; and denial of humanitarian access). The Israel/OPT monitoring and reporting mechanism (MRM) was established in April 2007, and reports on the six violations above, as well as detention, torture and forced displacement. The MRM includes UN agencies and non-governmental organizations, and reports every two months to a working group mandated to make recommendations to the Security Council. These recommendations can include the imposition, through country-specific resolutions, of “targeted and graduated measures”. See the website of the Office of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict for more information.

Attacks on children by Israeli settlers during the reporting period Of the 44 Palestinians injured by Israeli settlers since the beginning of the year, more than one-third were children. On 9 June, a 16-year-old Palestinian boy from the H2 area of Hebron City was injured when a group of Israeli settlers threw stones at him near the Al Ibrahimi Mosque. Israeli soldiers prevented a Red Crescent Society ambulance from reaching the injured boy, and Israeli soldiers threw stones at the ambulance, breaking its windows. Israeli police took the injured boy to an unknown destination. [Source: OCHA] On 26 June, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy from the H2 area of Hebron City was physically assaulted and injured in front of his home by a group of Israeli settlers. [Source: OCHA] In July, two children from Hebron and one child in Nablus were physically assaulted and injured by Israeli settlers. [Source: OCHA]

Case study of a child's arrest Fifteen-year-old Muss'ab of Al Aroub Camp was arrested, beaten, and interrogated before signing a confession that he couldn't read.                  (see DCI/PS Case Study

Recommendations  Israel should immediately revise its rules of engagement to expressly forbid the entering of or attacks on schools, or the use of schools for military purposes, in line with international humanitarian and human rights law principles. In any use of schools as detention and interrogation facilities, senior officers issuing such military orders should be held individually accountable. Israeli authorities should undertake the independent investigation and prosecution of settlers involved in violent acts against children. The borders of Gaza must be opened to allow the regular functioning of schools and access to educational and health institutions. The security forces affiliated with the Palestinian Authority and the forces affiliated with Palestinian political parties should confirm their adherence to international legal standards that stipulate that in no circumstances should children be unlawfully recruited, nor be required or permitted to take part in hostilities.

Contact us  Child Rights Monitor Website: www.childrightsmonitor.org Email: crm@childrightsmonitor.org Defence for Children International - Palestine Section (DCI/PS) PO Box 55201, Jerusalem Tel: +972 2 242 7537 Website: www.dci-pal.org Contact person: Isabelle Guitard, isabelle@dci-pal.org Save the Children UK PO Box 18117, Jerusalem 91180 Tel: +972 2 583-8594 Website: www.savethechildren.org.uk Contact person: Jennifer Moorehead, jennifer_scpal@palnet.com