A UN report has highlighted the escalation of Israeli aggression against Palestinian children in March and April this year. Issued by UNICEF, the report alleges that Israeli hostility against children has reached levels not witnessed since Operation Cast Lead in 2008/9. The report called for further measures to be put in place to ensure accountability; investigations into incidents which led to civilian deaths, especially among children; and questions for those responsible for illegal actions.

In March and April 2011, claims the report, Israeli violations led to the killing of ten Palestinian children, including a girl, with 117 being injured; 113 boys and 4 girls. The report noted that those figures show a sharp rise in comparison with the figures that were recorded in January and February 2011, during which 3 children were killed and 64 were injured. Six of the children killed lost their lives in Gaza, while three were killed in the so-called buffer zone between Gaza and Israel. Just under half, 44%, of the casualties lived in occupied East Jerusalem; 88% of these incidents took place in the Silwan and Sheikh Jarrah areas of the city.