The Defence for Children International – Palestine (DCIP) has endorsed explosive comments by Israeli Democratic Party leader Yair Golan, who accused the Israeli army of killing Palestinian children as a form of “recreation” during its war on Gaza.

Ayed Abu Eqtaish, Director of DCIP’s Accountability Programme, said over 18,000 children have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, with at least 200 more in the West Bank. Dozens have died from starvation due to the Israeli blockade, while thousands more are missing under the rubble or held in Israeli detention. “This is not just a humanitarian crisis. It is a generational annihilation,” he warned.

Abu Eqtaish said the Israeli army has “eradicated at the root” children’s basic rights to life, health, food, water, and education, in flagrant violation of international conventions. More than 36,000 children have been orphaned, and many suffer permanent injuries, trauma, and displacement under constant bombing.

He accused the Israeli army of deliberately targeting children, describing it as “sport” or entertainment for some soldiers — actions he said constitute war crimes. While welcoming Golan’s statements as a step towards accountability, he condemned the international community’s silence. “Laws mean nothing if they are not enforced. Palestinian children are being left to face genocide alone,” he said.

Golan himself warned that Israel risks becoming an international pariah like apartheid South Africa. “A sane state doesn’t kill children for sport,” he said. His comments were echoed by former Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon, who denounced Israel’s Gaza campaign as a series of “massacres and war crimes.”

UNICEF has called Gaza a “mass grave for children,” stating that more minors have been killed in Gaza than in any conflict in modern history.