Statement from Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa and Lucia Elmi, UNICEF Special Representative in the State of Palestine

AMMAN/EAST JERUSALEM, 9 May 2021:?¡°Over the past two days, 29 Palestinian children were injured in East Jerusalem including in the Old City and the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood. Eight Palestinian children were meanwhile arrested.

¡°A one-year-old toddler was among those injured. Some children were taken for treatment at hospitals with injuries in the head and the spine.

¡°This comes amid reports that nearly 300 people were injured in the area.

¡°UNICEF received reports that ambulances were restricted from arriving on location to assist and evacuate the injured and that an on-site clinic was reportedly hit and searched.

¡°All children should be protected from violence and kept out of harm¡¯s way at all times. Families¡¯ rights to access all places of worship should be preserved and those injured be assisted without restrictions.

¡°UNICEF urges the Israeli authorities to refrain from using violence against children and release all those children detained. The detention of children is a last resort and should be used for the shortest time possible.

¡°Meanwhile in the Gaza Strip, parts of the West Bank and southern Israel, there is a concerning resumption in violence especially in the past 24 hours.

¡°We call on all parties involved wherever they are to prevent any further escalation and protect all civilians especially children.¡±

Media contacts

Damian Rance
Chief of Communication & Advocacy
UNICEF – State of Palestine
Tel:?+97225840400