On Tuesday, 27 October 2026, Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territory Occupied since 1967, met with children from the Palestine Children’s Council – Gaza Strip, established by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) in 2021. The meeting was also attended by children with amputated limbs and children who had lost family members during Israel’s genocidal campaign in the Gaza Strip.

Albanese listened to the children’s stories and harrowing testimonies as they spoke about their daily suffering amid death, destruction, and displacement, and the devastating impact of the ongoing genocide on their lives and futures. They also described how they had been deprived of their fundamental rights, particularly the rights to life, education, safety, and a life of dignity.

The children expressed their pains and fears, stressing their right to protection and to live in a safe environment that ensures them a dignified childhood, and a future defined by peace and justice.

This meeting comes amid the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, as Israel’s genocidal war enters its fourth year, stressing the urgent need for international action to protect children, guarantee their rights, and hold those responsible for violations against them accountable.