UN finds majority of women and children killed in Gaza war

The U.N. Human Rights Office said Friday that about 7 percent of the deaths it confirmed were of israel Fight Gaza women and children, and condemned what he called the systematic violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.

UN The tally since the beginning of the war includes only those deaths that three sources have managed to verify, and the count is ongoing.

The 8,119 confirmed victims are a far lower figure than the more than 43,508 that Palestinian health authorities have provided for the 13-month war. But the death toll from Palestinian health authorities is estimated to be incomplete, and thousands of people are believed to be buried under vast rubble in Gaza.

The UN’s breakdown of the age and gender of victims supports Palestinian claims that women and children account for the majority of those killed in the war.

This finding indicates “a systematic violation of fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, including distinction and proportionality.” UN rights office he said in a statement accompanying the 32-page report.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said, “It is essential that allegations of serious violations of international law be duly evaluated through reliable and impartial judicial bodies, while all relevant information and evidence is collected and protected.” His rights are Volker Turk, he said.

Office of the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu did not immediately respond to his request Reuters To comment on the report’s findings.

The Israeli army, which started the campaign after the attacks on Israel led by Hamas on October 7, 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people died and more than 250 people were taken hostage, says that it is careful not to harm civilians in Gaza.

The organization says that approximately one civilian is killed for every fighter and blames this ratio. HamasHe says the Palestinian militant group uses civilian facilities. Hamas has denied using civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, as human shields.

Israel’s war on the region was taken to the International Court of Justice in The Hague on charges of violating the genocide convention. The court continues to review the case after finding that Israel’s breach of the contract was reasonable.

The youngest victim turned a day older

Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN Human Rights Office for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, told reporters at a briefing in Geneva that the deaths included in the report were confirmed by three sources: neighbors, family members, local NGOs, hospital records or UN staff. on the ground.

“The numbers are of course huge compared to previous years, so we need time to catch up and verify,” he said, adding that he thought the UN’s final figure would likely be similar to the Palestinians’ figure.

The report stated that the youngest victim, whose death was confirmed by UN observers, was a one-day-old boy, and the oldest victim was a 97-year-old woman.

Overall, those 18 and under represented 44 percent of victims. kids The five-to-nine age group represents the largest age category, followed by the 10-14 age group and then the up to four (including four) age group.

This situation generally reflects the demographic structure of the region, and the report states that it reflects the apparent failure to take measures to prevent civilian casualties.

It turned out that in 88 percent of the cases, five or more people were killed in the same attack, pointing out that the Israeli army used weapons that affected a wide area, but it was stated that some deaths could be the result of faulty bullets. Palestinian armed groups

(Reuters and New Arab Team)