Palestinian children play near the Gaza border with Israel (background), east of Jabalia, on August 3, 2018, as smoke billows from burning tyres and incendiary devices launched by Palestinian protesters fly in the sky. (AFP photo)
RAMALLAH, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) sent a letter on Monday to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urging him to list Israel as a state that "violates children's rights" in its annual report on children and armed conflict.
The letter, sent from PLO's Secretary General Saeb Erekat, came two days after Israeli troops killed two Palestinian children in Gaza on Friday.
"From reports you received from UN agencies working in occupied Palestine and through our bilateral channels, it becomes evident that Israel, as an occupying power, continues its grave violations of its obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention and other treaties, including UN Convention on Right of the Child," the letter said.
Palestinian children walk past paintings depicting the Naqba at the United nations Relief and Works Agency's (UNRWA, UN agency for Palestinian refugees) Fawwar Palestinian refugee camp, southern West Bank, near Hebron, on September 2, 2018. (AFP photo)
Last Friday, Israeli snipers shot Abdelnasser Musabeh, 12 years old, and Mohammad Al-Hoom, 14 years old, while they were standing hundreds of meters away from the Israeli forces deployed in the Gaza Strip, according to the letter.
The senior PLO official accused Israel of violating children's rights, including murdering and maiming of children, abduction of children, attacks against schools and hospitals, and denial of humanitarian access for children.
Erekat also reiterated the demand for international protection for the Palestinian civilians, adding that over 350 Palestinian children are currently jailed in Israel.