Israel has overseen “severe” breaches of a global treaty protecting children’s rights in Gaza as its military had a “catastrophic” impact on them and are among the worst violations in recent history, a U.N. committee said Thursday.
Over 41,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its genocidal military campaign in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion, where 1,200 were killed and 250 taken hostage.
Palestinian health authorities said earlier this week that 11,355 of those killed in Gaza are children, based only on fully documented deaths.
“The outrageous death of children is almost historically unique. This is an extremely dark place in history,” Bragi Gudbrandsson, Vice Chair of the Committee, told reporters.
“I don’t think we have seen before, a violation that is so massive, as we’ve seen in Gaza. These are extremely grave violations that we do not often see,” he said.
Israel’s delegation argued in a series of U.N. hearings earlier this month that the treaty did not apply in Gaza or the West Bank.
It claimed that it was committed to respecting international humanitarian law and said its military campaign in Gaza is aimed at eliminating Hamas members and that it does not target civilians.
The four-member U.N. Committee monitors countries’ compliance with the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child – a widely adopted treaty that protects under 18s from violence and other abuses.
9 more deaths
The U.N. accusations came out the same day Israel killed nine more children in the Palestinian territory.
Israeli airstrikes on several areas of the Gaza Strip over the last 24 hours have killed at least 34 Palestinians, including nine children, a Gaza official said Thursday.
In a statement, Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal provided information on the ongoing Israeli strikes.
