Palestinian Lawyer Khaled Quzmar Wins Amnesty International Human Rights Award 2026
28/10/2026 – Union for Justice Foundation
The German Section of Amnesty International has awarded its 2026 Human Rights Award to Palestinian lawyer Khaled Quzmar in recognition of his longstanding efforts to defend the rights of children in the illegally occupied Palestinian territory. The award includes a financial prize of €20,000.
Khaled Quzmar, whose expertise in children’s rights is internationally recognised, has played a key role in highlighting the structural and systematic human rights violations faced by Palestinian children and in bringing issues of accountability and justice to the forefront of public debate. He has also documented human rights violations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, for United Nations bodies and international courts. In addition, he has helped large numbers of children and their families access legal assistance and psychosocial support.
As a result of his human rights work, Quzmar, who resides in Ramallah, has faced severe pressure, repressive measures and smear campaigns by the Israeli authorities. These measures included summoning him for questioning by Israel’s General Security Service, known as the Shin Bet, and threatening him with a lengthy prison sentence.
Quzmar served for many years as Director General of Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCI-P), before he was forced to dissolve the human rights organisation in the spring of 2026, following more than 35 years of work, amid continued harassment by the Israeli authorities. Since June 2026, he has served as Executive Director of the Palestinian Centre for Child Rights.
Julia Duchrow, Secretary General of Amnesty International Germany, said that for nearly 40 years, Khaled Quzmar had worked tirelessly, despite numerous challenges, to amplify the voices of Palestinian children, among the most vulnerable groups exposed to violations in Palestinian society.
She added that the catastrophic living conditions faced by Palestinian children are a direct consequence of structural human rights violations and systematic repression, both of which have intensified significantly in recent years, depriving entire generations of their future.
Duchrow criticised the positions of allies of the Israeli government, including the United States and Germany, stating that they not only turn a blind eye to grave human rights violations against Palestinians but also facilitate them through arms supplies. She stressed that these practices must end, emphasising that Palestinian children urgently need the greatest possible protection.
Structural Human Rights Violations and Systematic Discrimination
For decades, Palestinian children have been subjected to grave human rights violations under Israel’s unlawful occupation and the apartheid system it imposes on Palestinians. Their situation has deteriorated dramatically since the sharp escalation of violence in October 2023 and the beginning of the genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
In this context, Duchrow explained that what is often presented as a humanitarian crisis is, in essence, the result of political decisions taken by the Israeli government that systematically destroy children’s lives.
She added that the issue extends beyond the shortage of humanitarian aid provided to children throughout the illegally occupied Palestinian territory. It also concerns their fundamental rights to life, physical integrity, liberty and security, education, health and housing, as well as the question of whether these rights are guaranteed to Palestinian children in the first place.
In the Gaza Strip, at least 20,000 children have been killed by the Israeli army since October 2023, while more than 17,000 children have lost their families. Tens of thousands of children are also suffering serious injuries and facing hunger and disease amid the destruction of infrastructure and the lack of essential services. They are also being deprived of access to schools and the opportunity to continue their education.
In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, children are affected by state-backed settler violence and displacement, alongside the systematic destruction of schools and infrastructure.
Repression of Palestinian Civil Society
Human rights defenders and human rights organisations in the occupied Palestinian territory continue to face repression by the Israeli authorities and the Israeli army, as part of a broader pattern targeting the work of Palestinian human rights institutions.
In October 2021, Israel designated Defense for Children International – Palestine, where Khaled Quzmar had worked for many years, as a terrorist organisation, alongside five other Palestinian civil society organisations, without providing documented evidence to substantiate the designation.
The decision drew strong criticism from Amnesty International, the United Nations and numerous civil society organisations. The German government and several other partners within the European Union also rejected the designation.
Since the current governing coalition took office in Israel, particularly following 7 October 2023, pressure on staff members of several Palestinian organisations has intensified. These measures have included intimidation, smear campaigns, interrogations, arbitrary detention, imprisonment and ill-treatment, as well as raids on the offices of some of these organisations.
The Amnesty International Human Rights Award 2026 highlights Khaled Quzmar’s efforts to defend the rights of Palestinian children amid the challenges facing human rights defenders and Palestinian human rights organisations.
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