The Israeli ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, revealed that the UN has added the Israeli military to a list of entities failing to protect children in the previous year. Erdan described the decision as “shameful,” while Foreign Minister Israel Katz warned of potential repercussions for Israel’s UN relations. A spokesman for the Palestinian president welcomed the decision as a step toward holding Israel accountable for what he termed its “crimes.”
Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of thousands of children, with many more in urgent need of humanitarian aid. The annual list compiled by the secretary-general includes incidents of child fatalities in conflict zones, as well as instances of impeded access to aid and the targeting of educational and medical facilities. This list will be presented in a report to the UN Security Council next week. The specific violations attributed to the Israeli army were not immediately disclosed.
Read more: Israeli Volunteers Battle to Deliver Aid to Gaza Amid Rising Attacks
Reports suggest that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad will also be included in the list. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the UN’s decision, asserting that the Israeli military is the “most moral army in the world.” Israel’s offensive in Gaza began after Hamas attacked communities near Gaza on October 7 last year, resulting in casualties and hostages, including children.
According to Israel’s National Council for the Child, around 1,200 people, including 38 children, were killed during the conflict. Meanwhile, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reported a higher death toll from Israeli attacks. Last month, the UN revised down the proportion of reported fatalities that were women and children from 69% to 52%, citing discrepancies in the data provided by Hamas. The UN now relies on figures from the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza rather than from the Hamas-run Government Media Office.
What led the UN to revise its Gaza death toll for women and children?
On Friday, the Associated Press reported that its analysis of data from Gaza’s health ministry indicated a significant decrease in the proportion of Palestinian women and children killed in the Israel-Hamas conflict. According to the report, this decrease appears to be linked to a reduction in the intensity of Israeli air strikes. Despite this, Israeli air strikes on Gaza have persisted. On Thursday morning, an air strike reportedly struck a central Gaza school where displaced people had taken shelter, resulting in the deaths of at least 35 individuals. The US confirmed reports that 14 children were among those killed, while Israel identified 17 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad members among the casualties.
Following the strike, medics from Doctors Without Borders (MSF), supporting the nearby al-Aqsa Martyrs’ hospital, described chaotic scenes. MSF reported that in the previous 24 hours, at least 70 deceased individuals had been brought in, along with over 300 wounded, the majority of whom were women and children.
Last month, an Israeli missile ignited a fire in a camp for displaced Palestinians near the southern city of Rafah, reportedly resulting in the deaths of 45 individuals, including many children, sparking global outrage. The Israeli military stated that it had not anticipated such a fire.
Israel has faced accusations of obstructing the entry of much-needed aid into Gaza, leading to shortages of clean water, food, medicines, and fuel for those living in the Palestinian territory. Israel denies these allegations and accuses UN bodies and humanitarian organizations of failing to distribute the allowed aid.
The US-based Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) suggested that famine may have been occurring in northern Gaza in April, and an Israeli military operation in Rafah, southern Gaza, may have exacerbated food insecurity in the region. This operation displaced over a million Palestinians from Rafah, who had sought refuge from the fighting elsewhere in Gaza, to sandy coastal areas or the largely ruined city of Khan Younis.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, warns that the mass movement of people in a short timeframe, alongside a sharp decline in aid deliveries, is having lethal consequences. UNRWA spokeswoman Juliette Touma stated that “Children are dying due to malnutrition and dehydration.”
