UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has issued a special report on "Children in Violent Conflict'" which strongly criticizes the use of children by terrorist organizations.
Guterres notes in the document that one of the UN's biggest challenges in this regard is preventing the recruitment of minors for terrorist organizations. "Children who work for terrorist organizations are victims," Guterres said. "They are exposed to high-level violence and exploitation that influences them physically and mentally."
The report detailed the various terrorist organizations which recruit children, including Hamas and Hezbollah. The report confirmed that children in Gaza and Judea and Samaria have been recruited by Islamic Jihad, Hamas and other terrorist groups.
The UN also warned that in Lebanon similar recruitment of children is carried out by Hezbollah, a Palestinian terrorist group called Ansarullah and other terrorist groups. The common denominator of these terrorist organizations is that they act against the State of Israel, most of them openly.
Hamas, among other things, recruits children in the Gaza Strip for its demonstrations on the border during which they are required to throw stones and serve as human shields, an activity officially condemned by the United Nations.
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said that "a young generation continues to grow up on violent incitement against the state of Israel under the auspices of terrorist organizations."
"This is an important step for the United Nations but in order to significantly damper terrorist activity, the Security Council must first recognize Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations and impose immediate sanctions on them."