† Determined by national law or regulation as hazardous and, as such, relevant to Article 3(d) of ILO C. 182.
‡ Child labor understood as the worst forms of child labor per se under Article 3(a)–(c) of ILO C. 182.

Children at Higher Risk

In the Gaza Strip, where 47 percent of the population are under the age of 18, the large-scale humanitarian crisis has left children particularly vulnerable to exploitative child labor as families seek essentials like food and shelter. An estimated 17,000 children in the Gaza Strip have lost both parents, rendering them significantly more vulnerable to exploitation. Over 1.9 million people have been internally displaced, some multiple times, and nearly 60 percent of the population have lost their homes. High levels of acute food insecurity, affecting approximately 91 percent of the Gaza Strip population as of February 2025, further incentivize child exploitation. Children in the Gaza Strip are also vulnerable to recruitment into the armed wings of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad and were forcibly used as human shields by all parties.

The economic downturn in the West Bank as a result of the war has led 7.4 percent of workers to send their children to work as a coping mechanism, according to the ILO. Children may be vulnerable to child labor in the agricultural sector, including in Area C. The Palestinian Authority (PA) does not have legal jurisdiction or the resources to enforce laws in Area C’s agricultural fields, or in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, both of which are administered by Israel. Some Palestinian girls from the West Bank can be vulnerable to being exploited for sex and labor in the West Bank and in Israel after family members force them into marriages with older men, in which they may experience physical and sexual abuse, threats of violence, and restricted movement.

Barriers to Education Access

The war in the Gaza Strip has produced dire consequences for children’s education. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, 111 public schools in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed, and 241 severely damaged, leaving 700,000 students without education during the 2024–2025 academic year. Nearly 88.5 percent of schools are entirely destroyed or need major rehabilitation according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

In the West Bank, children have also faced increased barriers to education due to further restrictions on movement, military actions, and increased violence, with some schools moving to virtual classrooms. UNICEF reports that between 8 and 20 percent of schools are closed on any given day. In the West Bank, school closures, Israeli demolition and confiscation of schools, and harassment and detention by Israeli security forces at checkpoints prevent some children from attending school. Access to education is key to preventing children’s engagement in child labor.

† No standing military in the West Bank

In the West Bank, under the terms of the Oslo-era agreements between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority has civil law jurisdiction in the areas of the West Bank designated Area A and Area B, which represent approximately 39 percent of the West Bank’s land area and contain approximately 94 percent of the Palestinian population. The Israeli government has full administrative and security control over the city of Jerusalem and Area C; the latter represents 61 percent of the West Bank’s land area, approximately 6 percent of the Palestinian population, and the vast majority of the West Bank’s agricultural areas. Although under the Oslo Accords the Palestinian Authority’s laws also apply in the Gaza Strip, along with Egyptian, British Mandate and Ottoman statutes, and Sharia law, the courts in the Gaza Strip are not currently functioning.

The minimum age for work is lower than the compulsory education age, and children may be encouraged to leave school before the completion of compulsory education. The Labor Law’s minimum age provision does not apply to minors who work for their first-degree relatives, which is not in line with international standards that limit the exception for family-based work to small-scale holdings producing for local consumption and not regularly employing hired workers. Additionally, there are no criminal penalties for recruiting children into non-state armed groups.

In 2024, approximately 80 labor inspectors conducted approximately 6,000 worksite inspections, finding 342 violations related to child labor and issuing 0 civil penalties. Also, 6 cases were referred to Juvenile Prosecution, and 1 perpetrator was convicted.

* Policy was approved during the reporting period.

‡ Program is funded by the Palestinian Authority.

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